Okpebholo Frees Detained AAU Students, Raises University Funding to ₦500m

Okpebholo Frees Detained AAU Students, Raises University Funding to ₦500m

The Edo State Government has secured the release of several students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, who were detained at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre following a protest that degenerated into violence in the Ekpoma axis of the state.

The students were among 52 persons remanded by a Benin High Court on charges including armed robbery and malicious damage to property, after a demonstration initially organised to protest insecurity was allegedly hijacked by hoodlums.

Confirming their release in a statement on Thursday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Patrick Ebojele, said the development followed the intervention of the Edo State Government, led by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

The protest, which took place last Saturday, reportedly turned violent after unidentified individuals blocked roads, set tyres ablaze and attacked traders, as captured in viral videos circulating on social media. Security agencies later intervened, leading to multiple arrests.

At a stakeholders’ engagement held at the Government House Banquet Hall in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo addressed the freed students, expressing sadness over the violence and warning against being manipulated by criminal or political interests.

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“I was highly in pain when I saw what was happening in my place. The day I was sworn in, I said I was going to revive Ambrose Alli University,” the Governor said.

He lamented the level of financial mismanagement inherited from the previous administration, revealing that while the university survived on a monthly allocation of just ₦41 million, a single consultant was allegedly paid ₦59 million monthly.

“They were paying light bills, water, printing, salaries and everything from ₦41 million, which was not enough for anything at all. But on record, one consultant was receiving ₦59 million under the last administration,” he disclosed.

Governor Okpebholo announced that his administration has increased AAU’s monthly subvention to ₦500 million, describing the move as part of a broader plan to revive and reposition the university.

He also acknowledged inheriting about ₦41 billion in salary and wage arrears, assuring staff and students that mechanisms are being put in place to clear the backlog gradually.

While noting that insecurity in Nigeria remains a national challenge, the Governor said intelligence reports indicated that many criminal activities in Ekpoma were carried out by residents of the community.

“Don’t allow yourself to be used. Read your books so that you can be like us,” he warned the students, stressing that his administration has zero tolerance for criminality but remains committed to dialogue as a conflict-resolution tool.

The engagement was attended by the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, Chief of Staff Gani Audu, and other senior government officials, who commended the Governor’s decision to prioritise reconciliation and the welfare of the students.

Okpebholo Frees Detained AAU Students, Raises University Funding to ₦500m