The organisation said the arrests were an attempt to intimidate students who had exercised their constitutional right to protest against the rising wave of kidnappings and insecurity in the state.
The Take-It-Back Movement has strongly condemned the arrest and remand of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, describing the operation as a gross abuse of power and a violation of fundamental human rights.
In a statement signed on Monday by the National Coordinator of the group, Sanyaolu Juwon, the movement expressed concerns over the midnight raids carried out by the Nigeria Police Force, which saw officers storm student hostels across Ekpoma, arresting young people from their rooms.
The organisation said the arrests were an attempt to intimidate students who had exercised their constitutional right to protest against the rising wave of kidnappings and insecurity in the state.
The statement read, "This disgraceful operation, carried out in the dead of night, involved police officers storming student hostels across Ekpoma, indiscriminately arresting young people from their rooms. This act represents a gross abuse of power, a violation of fundamental human rights, and a dangerous descent into state-sponsored intimidation.
"Let it be stated clearly: peaceful protest is not a crime. The students and residents of Ekpoma exercised their constitutional right to protest against the alarming rise in kidnapping and insecurity that has turned their community into a hunting ground for criminals.
"Rather than going after kidnappers, the Edo State government, and the Nigerian police waste tax payers resources chasing after those protesting to end insecurity in the state. We condemn as unacceptable, the arbitrary arrests, and the weaponization of the judiciary to silence dissent."
The organisation explained that barely a day after the protest, another resident of Ekpoma was abducted in a brazen operation captured on CCTV.
"It is particularly shameful that this crackdown occurred while kidnappings continue unabated. Barely a day after the protest, another resident was abducted in Ekpoma in a brazen operation captured on CCTV. This underscores the tragic irony of a state that is swift in arresting students but impotent in confronting armed criminals terrorising its people.
"We reject, in the strongest terms, the attempt to scapegoat students for the failure of government to secure lives and property. Pulling down campaign billboards in anger at worsening insecurity is not terrorism; it is a political expression borne out of frustration, neglect, and state failure," Juwon said.
The Take It Back Movement called for the immediate and unconditional release of all 52 remanded students, the withdrawal of bogus and manufactured charges, and an end to the harassment and criminalisation of students and protesters in Edo State.
Take It Back Movement therefore demands: "The immediate and unconditional release of all 52 remanded students and the withdrawal of all bogus and manufactured charges against them.
"An end to the harassment, intimidation, and criminalisation of students and protesters in Edo State and immediate resignation of the Governor of Edo state over inability to secure lives and property of Edo residents."
The movement further to demand the resignation of the Governor of Edo State for failing to secure lives and property, a public apology from both the state government and the police for the illegal midnight operation, and punishment for the officers involved.
"Public apology from the Edo State Government, and the Nigeria Police Force for this illegal midnight operation, and punishment of the officers involved in the unlawful raids."
The Take It Back Movement reiterated its solidarity with the students of Ambrose Alli University and the people of Edo State, stressing that peaceful dissent cannot be criminalised in a democratic society.
"We warn that the continued detention of these students will only deepen public anger and resistance. Nigerians will not be intimidated into silence. History has shown that repression fuels resistance, not obedience.
"The Take It Back Movement stands in full solidarity with the students of Ambrose Alli University and the people of Edo state," the movement added.