Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate and unconstitutional release of all those unjustifiably detained for asserting their legitimate rights to protest against the kidnapping and killing of a young man in Ekpoma, Edo State.

In a statement, Atiku said the arrest is descriptive of the level of intolerance and high-handedness of the Bola Tinubu administration.

"It is unacceptable that the authorities' response to students' protest against insecurity in the Ekpoma area of Edo State is to arrest and detain dozens of students of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU). The right to protest is not only enshrined in the constitution but has also been validated by the courts. Meanwhile, I wish to remind the Tinubu-led APC administration that the primary responsibility of government is the security and welfare of the citizens.

"If the energy with which innocent students and citizens are arrested for raising concerns about insecurity were deployed to fighting terrorism and banditry, instead of negotiating with the criminals, our communities would be safer.

"I call for the immediate and unconstitutional release of all those unjustifiably detained for asserting their legitimate rights to protest," he said.

Killers of Ekpoma man didn't operate like Fulani terrorists - Okpebholo

Meanwhile, Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has said the people behind the kidnapping and killing of a young man in the Ekpoma area of the state operated in a manner different from the traditional way Fulani terrorists operate.

According to him, the kidnappers wore masks before they attacked the man after he alighted from his vehicle, an incident captured on CCTV.

Okpebholo, while addressing community traditional leaders, said the kidnappers killed their victim very close to his house without demanding ransom, meaning their modus operandi makes it clear that Fulani terrorists were not behind the incident.

He also hinted that the whole situation may have been orchestrated for political gains because of the protest that followed the incident.

He said, "The people who kidnapped this guy masked their faces. That is not the traditional way of Fulanis. They (kidnappers) did not go far; they killed him there. The next day, they (locals) came up with sentiment protest, looting. This is not acceptable. We must make sure that we bring these people to book. The same way we are going after the kidnappers is the same way we will go after them. We don't know whether they are the ones aiding them or giving them information. By the time we finish this operation, these things will stop."

ASA