Atiku Slams Tinubu Govt Over Ekpoma Protest
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest and detention of students of Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, describing the action as evidence of growing intolerance under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku made his position known in a statement shared on his official X page on Tuesday, where he expressed concern over what he described as the “high-handedness” of the Federal Government in its response to students protesting insecurity in the Ekpoma area of Edo State.
According to the former Vice President, it is unacceptable for authorities to respond to peaceful demonstrations by arresting and detaining dozens of students. He stressed that the right to protest is guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and has been consistently upheld by the courts.
Atiku reminded the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, administration that the primary responsibility of any government is the security and welfare of its citizens. He argued that students should not be punished for raising legitimate concerns about their safety and the rising insecurity in their environment.
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He further stated that if the same level of energy deployed in arresting protesters were channelled into combating terrorism and banditry, rather than negotiating with criminals, many communities across the country would be safer.
The former Vice President called for the immediate and unconditional release of all students he described as unjustly detained for exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest.
