PRESS STATEMENT ON THE ARREST AND UNLAWFUL DETENTION OF 52 STUDENTS OF AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY (AAU), EKPOMA
PRESS STATEMENT
13th January, 2026
PUBLIC STATEMENT BY THE SAVE PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN (SPEC)
The Save Public Education Campaign (SPEC) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the arrest and continued unlawful detention of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, who were peacefully protesting against the wave of kidnapping and insecurity in the school community of Ekpoma and it’s environs.These students—who were duly exercising their democratic and fundamental Rights to organize, speak-out and assemble—have been met with gross violence for demanding functionall and adequate security in the face of widespread insecurity and kidnapping in the State, specifically the Ekpoma community.
Reports around the development so far indicate that, the Students were arbitrarily arrested, detained and denied access to legal representation, in gross violation of both their fundamental Right as well as Constitutional Provision regarding same.This authoritarian clampdown in clear violation of legal provisions and due process, is as worrisome as it is unacceptable, and we view this as a dangerous escalation of the ongoing militarization of educational spaces in Nigeria.
The Save-Public-Education-Campaign, Nigeria wishes to make cleat, that we hold the Commissioner of Police Edo State, CP Monday Agbonika, and the Commander of Mechanized 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Olatunboju Balogun, responsible for any harm that comes to the students.. The shocking video of the shooting of unarmed protesters by soldier under the watch of the said commander, as captured and broadcast in the social media, is strongly noted.
We wish to reiterate for the avoidance of doubt that, Public universities are not military barracks, and students are not subjects to be treated draconically. The right to protest is duly guaranteed and protected under the Nigerian Constitution and reinforced by international human rights conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory. Any attempt to criminalize students for speaking out against fees, exploitation, decay in infrastructure,, maladministration or any other unsavoury situation facing their, is nothing short of an assault on democracy and the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
We therefore issue the following unequivocal demands:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all 52 arrested AAU students.
No student should spend one more minute in detention for exercising their fundamental rights.
- An independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding these arrests, including the role of the police, the millitary and university authorities.
- The immediate end to harassment, intimidation, and profiling of student activists across campuses in Nigeria.
- Unalloyed respect for academic freedom and students’ rights, including the right to organize, protest, and participate in campus decision-making without fear of repression.
- Urgent reforms addressing the underlying issues the students raised—particularly funding, insecurity, welfare, infrastructure collapse, and arbitrary charges.
SPEC stands firmly in solidarity with the affected students, their families, and the wider AAU community. We call on civil society organizations, labour unions, human rights groups, the media, and all defenders of democracy to join us in rejecting this dangerous slide into repression.
Nigeria cannot claim to value education while intimidating and brutalizing the very students it should be empowering. A nation that criminalizes its youth has undoubtedly declared war on its own future.
Release the AAU 52 now. End repression on campuses. Fund and protect public education.
Signed:
Save Public Education Campaign (SPEC)
Comrade Vivian Bello
Convener
Comrade Dimeji Macaulay
Co Convener