According to him, students had consistently maintained their innocence and cooperated fully with university authorities in clarifying their position.
The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the release of protesters who are genuinely students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), arrested during the protest against kidnapping in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area.
The governor on Tuesday claimed that the protest was not organised by AAU students, describing the incident as a criminal act carried out by non-students hiding around the institution to foment trouble and extort law-abiding students.
The governor disclosed this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Patrick Ebojele, on Tuesday during a meeting with the AAU’s Students’ Union Government (SUG) President, Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael.
“Intelligence available to us shows that the incident was orchestrated by a group identifying themselves as the “Ambrose Alli Comrade Community,” made up of individuals who are no longer students but loiter around the school environment for unlawful activities.
“Any genuine students who may have been arrested in the course of restoring order would be identified and released without delay.
“For students who were probably arrested, we will look into it and get them released to the SUG President. That is a promise I made,” he said.
SaharaReporters had reported that the SUG denied any involvement of students in the recent protest that occurred in Ekpoma community, distancing the university community from claims that students organised or participated in the unrest.
Speaking on Tuesday in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the Student Union President, Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael, said the protest was neither organised under the aegis of the Student Union Government nor the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), describing attempts to link the incident to students as “pitiable and misleading.”
“Contrary to popular claims, the protest was not organised under the Student Union Government or NANS,” Osadebamen said. “It is quite unfortunate that some persons are deliberately trying to associate what transpired with the student community. We are here to officially debunk that claim. Students did not organise any protest.”
He appealed to the Edo State Government and security agencies to act decisively to ensure the immediate release of students arrested in connection with the incident, insisting that they had no hand in the protest.
According to him, students had consistently maintained their innocence and cooperated fully with university authorities in clarifying their position.
Corroborating the SUG’s position, a senior university official said investigations carried out by the institution showed that those who organised and carried out the protest were not students of Ambrose Alli University.
“As the Student Union President rightly said, that protest was organised by a group of people who are not our students,” the official said. “The law will take its course. However, for our students who were arrested, we appreciate His Excellency for his promise that they will be released as soon as possible.”
The official added that the university management had engaged with the affected students, all of whom denied participating in the protest.
He disclosed that the school convened a roundtable dialogue involving relevant stakeholders, but individuals from the community allegedly responsible for the protest failed to attend.
“We invited all parties for dialogue, but the so-called community members did not turn up,” the official said. “From our findings, whatever happened in Ekpoma was not part of any student plan. It was carried out by individuals who refused to leave the Ekpoma community.”
SaharaReporters had reported how no fewer than 52 students of Ambrose Alli University were remanded in a correctional facility following a midnight crackdown by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on student hostels across the school.
The students were arrested late at night from their hostels and subsequently charged to court for allegedly participating in a protest held last Saturday against rising cases of kidnapping and worsening insecurity in the state.
Students who spoke to SaharaReporters said the arrests were carried out in a coordinated operation, with police officers storming several hostels in the middle of the night and picking up students indiscriminately.
According to them, many of those arrested were not apprehended at the protest venue but were picked up from their residences.
“They came to our hostels at night and started arresting students,” one of the affected students told SaharaReporters from the court premises. “Many of those arrested were sleeping in their rooms and were not even on the streets when the protest took place.”
On Monday, the arrested students were arraigned before a court in Edo State, where the police filed a motion seeking their remand in custody.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that the police applied for an order to remand the 52 students for an initial period of 14 days, pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Edo State Ministry of Justice.
The motion was brought pursuant to Sections 293(1) and 296(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Edo State, 2016, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
The application, dated January 12, 2026, requested the court to remand the students at the Benin City Correctional Custodial Centre while investigations continue.
The arrests followed a mass protest by residents of Ekpoma over rising cases of kidnapping and insecurity in the area.
During the protest, angry residents pulled down campaign billboards mounted across the town ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing politicians of prioritising early campaigns over the safety of residents.