A Benin High Court has ordered 52 people, including Ambrose Alli University students, to be remanded at Ubiaja Correctional Centre over their involvement in a violent protest in Ekpoma, Edo State. The protest, which turned violent, was sparked by rising kidnapping incidents in the area
The suspects were arraigned through an exparte motion filed by Police Counsel, Polycap Odion, but journalists were denied access to the courtroom. Justice Williams Aziegbemi, the presiding judge, said he lacked jurisdiction and advised defense lawyers to file bail applications at Ubiaja High Court.
Many defendants claimed they were abducted from their homes overnight or early Sunday morning and taken directly to the Police command in Benin. Some lawyers expressed shock that charges of malicious damage and armed robbery were filed against the suspects, with one lawyer saying, “Nobody made complaints against the suspects, yet they are arraigned and remanded”
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate release of the 52 suspects, describing the protest as “lawful, courageous, and constitutionally protected”
