The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has rejected claims that security operatives arrested innocent citizens and peaceful protesters during the recent violence in Ekpoma, Edo State, describing the allegations as misleading.
Speaking in an interview aired on Channels Television on Saturday, the police chief said the force is often wrongly accused whenever protests degenerate into violence. He stressed that arrests are made based on criminal actions, not participation in lawful demonstrations.
According to Egbetokun, the police have no problem with peaceful protests and would never target individuals exercising their constitutional rights. He explained that the force’s concern arises when protests are hijacked by individuals who engage in violence, looting and destruction of property.
He maintained that the 52 persons arrested during the Ekpoma incident were not peaceful demonstrators but suspects allegedly involved in criminal activities, including the looting of shops and the vandalism of the palace of the Enogie of Ekpoma.
“The report available to me clearly shows that those arrested were involved in acts of violence and vandalism, not peaceful protest,” the IGP said, dismissing claims of indiscriminate arrests as a recurring false narrative against the police.
The arrests followed a protest in the university town, initially organised to draw attention to rising insecurity, which later turned violent after suspected hoodlums reportedly hijacked the demonstration. Properties were damaged, shops looted and roads blocked with burning tyres.
Public outrage trailed reports that students of Ambrose Alli University were among those remanded at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre on charges including malicious damage and armed robbery. Several prominent Nigerians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, condemned the arrests, calling them an attack on democratic rights.
However, the Edo State Government dismissed claims that the incident was a student protest, describing it instead as a coordinated riot aimed at destabilising the state.
The state government later announced that 38 students arrested during the unrest would be released, with the Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu, confirming that some had already regained their freedom, while others would be released subsequently.
Police authorities in Edo State reiterated that only suspects linked to looting, vandalism and other criminal acts were arrested following the breakdown of law and order in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area.
The unrest was reportedly triggered by the death of a youth amid growing concerns over insecurity and kidnapping in the area, with viral videos showing attacks on a livestock market and widespread destruction during the violence.