PDP Blasts Okpebholo Over Remand Of 52 Protesters
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a blistering condemnation of the All Progressives Congress (APC)–led Edo State Government under Senator Monday Okpebholo, describing its handling of the rising insecurity in Ekpoma and environs as a combination of incompetence and indifference.
In a terse statement released to newsmen by the Publicity Secretary of the Party in Edo State,Barr.Dan Osa-Ogbegie ,the PDP said Ekpoma had been abandoned to kidnappers and violent criminals, with residents living in fear as attacks escalated unchecked.
The party accused the Okpebholo administration of having no credible security strategy, noting that instead of confronting criminal gangs through intelligence-led policing and coordinated action, the APC government had chosen the easier but disgraceful option of unleashing state power against unarmed, peaceful citizens.
The PDP stated that the arrest and continued detention of peaceful protesters, many of them students, exposed what it called the “true character” of the APC government in Edo State.According to the party, it was unequivocally opposed to kidnapping and killings in all their forms and demanded the immediate dismantling of criminal networks operating freely across Ekpoma and neighbouring communities.
The PDP expressed full solidarity with the people of Ekpoma, particularly the students and residents who organised a peaceful protest against insecurity. It described the protest as lawful, courageous, and constitutionally protected, adding that only a government frightened by accountability would criminalise such civic action.
The party demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested during and after the protest, reportedly numbering over 52 students, many from Ambrose Alli University. Their continued detention, the PDP said, was oppressive, unlawful, and a blatant abuse of power, warning that Edo State was fast acquiring a reputation for punishing victims while protecting perpetrators.
The party also condemned reports that a court had remanded 52 students for protesting insecurity, describing the development as a dangerous descent into repression. It warned that a government that criminalises protest while kidnappers operate with impunity has lost all moral authority to govern.
Responding,the Special Adviser to the governor on Communication, Strategy and Media Projects,Godswill Inegbe accused the opposition PDP of using recent kidnapping in Ekpoma as a tool of political blackmail against Okpebholo.
His words:”the deliberate and sinister plot by remnants of the moribund Edo PDP to exploit the recent kidnappings in Ekpoma as a tool of political blackmail against Governor Monday Okpebholo, ahead of the 2027 general elections, clearly exposes the desperation and satanic intentions of former Governor Obaseki’s political slaves. These individuals, whose leadership was resoundingly rejected by the Edo people, are now resorting to fear-mongering and sponsored insecurity in a failed attempt to regain relevance.
“Governor Monday Okpebholo has already demonstrated uncommon resolve and capacity by decisively confronting cult-related killings and restoring sanity across Edo State. The current kidnappings in Ekpoma and other parts of the state clearly sponsored and politically motivated will not be an exception. This administration will crush these criminal activities with the full weight of the law.
“A critical observation reveals a disturbing but telling pattern.These home-grown criminals operate with hoods, invading private homes under the cover of darkness. This represents a clear departure from the modus operandi of external criminal gangs traditionally associated with kidnapping.
Continuing,Inegbe said,” the evidence strongly suggests local sponsorship and coordination, aimed at creating panic and undermining public confidence in the current government.Let it be clearly stated that anyone found complicit in these heinous acts whether local collaborators or external accomplices will face the full force of the law, without fear or favour. No individual or group will be shielded, regardless of political affiliation or godfatherism.
“Governor Okpebholo has deployed military helicopters to Ekpoma, with active aerial surveillance now ongoing across the area. This represents a decisive move toward ending the activities of kidnapping and other criminal activities in Esanland”, Inegbe posited.
