‘Target bandits, not students’ Obi tells Edo govt

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized the Edo State government for arresting and remanding 52 students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

In a statement, Obi said it is unacceptable and dangerous for democracy to punish citizens protesting insecurity while kidnappers and bandits remain free.

He described the arrests as a troubling response to a legitimate civic action, noting that the students were raising awareness about the insecurity devastating their communities.

The former Anambra State governor added that the students were reportedly taken from their hostels at night for protesting kidnappings and banditry, a move he said shows a troubling inversion of government priorities.

“I have just been made aware of the alarming arrest and remand of 52 students in Ekpoma, Edo State, who bravely called for an end to the terror of kidnappers and bandits plaguing their community. Fight bandits not students.

“We cannot and must not punish citizens for voicing legitimate grievances, especially when they are standing up against the very real threats that have devastated our neighbourhoods.

“It is beyond belief that students were taken from their hostels at night simply for protesting, only to be treated as criminals. Meanwhile, the actual perpetrators, the bandits and kidnappers wreaking havoc, remain at large, unaccountable for their actions,” Obi wrote on X.

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