No fewer than 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, have been remanded in a correctional facility following a midnight police raid on hostels across Ekpoma in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State.

The students were arrested late Saturday night after participating in a protest against rising kidnapping and insecurity in the state. Eyewitnesses reported that many of those detained were picked up from their hostels, not at the protest site, sparking fear among students and residents.

“They came to our hostels at night and started arresting students. Many of those arrested were sleeping in their rooms and were not even on the streets during the protest,” one student told reporters.

On Monday, the students were arraigned in court, where the police requested that they be remanded for 14 days pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Edo State Ministry of Justice. The application cited Sections 293(1) and 296(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Edo State, 2016, and was brought under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.

The motion filed by the police sought permission to remand the students in Benin City Correctional Centre while awaiting legal guidance, with provision for further orders as deemed appropriate by the court.

The arrests come just a day after residents of Ekpoma staged mass protests over insecurity, during which kidnappers struck again, abducting a man in broad daylight in an incident captured on CCTV. Protesters also destroyed political billboards, criticizing politicians for prioritizing early campaigns over citizens’ safety ahead of the 2027 elections.