The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has clarified that the 52 suspects arrested during the recent protests in Ekpoma, Edo State, were taken into custody for alleged looting and vandalism, not for participating in peaceful demonstrations.

In a video posted on the Nigeria Police Force X handle, Egbetokun dismissed reports suggesting that the arrests targeted lawful protesters.

“In Ekpoma, yes, 52 of them were arrested during the protest, and those 52, from the report coming to me, are those people who were involved in the looting of shops and the vandalising of the palace of the Enogie of Ekpoma,” he said.

The IGP lamented that the police are often accused of arresting peaceful demonstrators when violence erupts under the cover of protests.

“That’s the usual false narrative against the police. When people have committed criminal offences during protests, we are used to narratives that the police arrested peaceful protesters,” Egbetokun explained.

He stressed that the police are not against lawful demonstrations. “Of course, the police will not go after anybody who participated in a peaceful protest. We are not against peaceful protest. If you want to come out for peaceful protest, what’s our business? We will protect you,” he assured.

However, he warned that criminal acts carried out during protests would not be tolerated. “Peaceful protest is not a challenge to the police. It is those people who want to perpetrate crime, carry out violence, destroy property and loot shops during protest. Those are the ones we have problems with,” he added.

Background to the Ekpoma Protests

Residents of Ekpoma and neighbouring communities had staged demonstrations on January 10 to protest rising cases of kidnapping in the area.

Protesters marched through major roads with placards, demanding government intervention.

The protests later turned violent, leading to vandalism and looting of shops and properties. Among those arrested were students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), who were remanded by a Federal High Court in Edo State on charges of malicious damage and armed robbery.

The AAU students have since been released, following intervention by state authorities.