Ekpoma Riots: Rights Group Seeks Release of Detained Ex-Aide to Okpebholo

More than a week after the anti-kidnapping protests in Ekpoma, Edo State, turned violent and led to multiple arrests, a civil rights group has demanded the unconditional release of Collins Aigbogun, a former Special Adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo, from police custody.

The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights, in a statement issued on Monday, said Aigbogun had continued to be detained despite being removed from office and replaced by the governor last week. The former aide was reportedly arrested on allegations that he was among the masterminds of the protests.

The statement was jointly signed by the group’s Coordinator General, Marxist Edokpayi, and Secretary General, Aghatise Raphael. The coalition warned the police against making arrests without due regard for the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

According to the group, the governor had claimed that the Ekpoma protest was sponsored by a Russia-based individual, raising questions over why Aigbogun was still being held.

“According to Section 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, a person shall not be convicted of any offence unless the offence is defined and the penalty is therefore prescribed in a written law,” the statement said.

The coalition added that, so far, the police had not provided any evidence linking Aigbogun to the organisation or sponsorship of the protest.

“The continued detention of Mr. Aigbogun, predicated solely on alleged sponsorship of a protest, is not only antithetical to constitutional safeguards but risks engendering perceptions of political persecution,” the group said, warning that such actions could erode public confidence in law enforcement and democratic governance.

The coalition further questioned the priorities of security agencies, saying, “It is profoundly disconcerting that while criminal networks operate with apparent impunity, citizens exercising their constitutional rights are subjected to detention and intimidation.”

Appealing directly to the governor, the group urged him to intervene in the interest of justice. “The coalition wishes to appeal to Governor Okpebholo to order the immediate and unconditional release of Aigbogun from police detention in the interest of justice and equity, as the saying goes: ‘It is better a hundred guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer,’” the statement read.

The group also called on the Nigerian Police Force to operate strictly within constitutional limits, urging authorities to work with citizens to tackle insecurity rather than “penalising an innocent man.”

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