The Edo State Government on Wednesady said that 38 students of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, arrested over last weekend’s protest in the area will be released.

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The Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu, who disclosed this to Channels Television on Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, said while some were released on Tuesday, others would regain freedom on Wednesday.

“We didn’t sleep till 1 a.m. this morning, trying to release the students, some of them yesterday.

“Altogether, we are releasing about 38 students,” the commissioner said.

He noted that the masterminds of the unrest living outside Edo fomented trouble, leading to the destruction of properties.

“On May 13 [2025], if I’m not mistaken, they had a peaceful protest in Edo state. People protested because of the cultism.

“And they did the procession straight to Government House, and the governor received them himself. He took them into his office. After addressing them outside, he took them into his office, and everything went on smooth.

“So one expects that if people are going to be also making their, their pains known, you need to do it in a very orderly manner so that the government in the usual manner will also take steps, but taking laws into their hands, going to steal, going into the palace of the king to do a lot is totally out of it,” he stated.

Iyamu, however, said that following the return to normalcy in the area, the government has approved the resumption of academic activities.

“We have released the communiqué this morning. Students are to return to school on Monday.

“The schools resume in the central on Monday because normalcy has been restored. The governor is even still in the general area, trying to make sure that the peace is sustained, and so far, normalcy has been restored. Security agencies are doing a lot,” he added.

Ekpoma Protest, Arrests

Angry youths had last Saturday demonstrated against the spate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the town located in the Esan West Local Government Area.

A viral video showed some residents in the Edo Central region of the state protesting the rising kidnappings and killings.

The video also showed some people, suspected to be cattle breeders, fleeing a market upon sighting some protesters.

Over 50 people were reportedly arrested after the police said the protest was “hijacked, and all the rules of peaceful protest were ignored, which led to incidents, including malicious damages, looting of property, vandalisation of shops”.

The Edo State High Court, Criminal Court 2, on Monday ordered the remand of some youths involved in the protest that rocked the Ekpoma area of the state at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre.

Gov’s Intervention

But Governor Monday Okpebholo on Tuesday approved the release of persons arrested over the protests in Ekpoma.

During his meeting with the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, on Tuesday, Okpebholo said the unrest in the area was not organised by students of the school.

He described the protests that happened on Saturday as a criminal act carried out by non-students hiding around the institution to foment trouble and extort law-abiding students.

“I have met with the SUG President of AAU Ekpoma. We had a very lengthy discussion, and as I have consistently said, this was not a students’ protest.

“These are people who are no longer students but are just hanging around the school, causing trouble and extorting students. We will put an end to that,” Okpebholo said.