BLANKET REMAND OF 52 AAU STUDENTS, A ‘PERVERSION OF JUSTICE’: – SECURITY SITUATION ROOM
….As group demands urgent release of innocent students, slams NANS silence, calls for ACJL reform
The Security Situation Room has condemned the “indiscriminate” remand of 52 Ambrose Alli University (AAU) students in Ekpoma, Edo State, describing it as a gross abuse of judicial process and a betrayal of the rule of law. The students were remanded en masse on Monday, January 11, 2026, sparking outrage from families and rights groups.
In a statement signed by Convener Douglas Ogbankwa Esq., the group argued that the “blanket incarceration” ignores principles of individual culpability, sweeping innocents along with any guilty parties.”Justice demands meticulous investigation, not dragnet arrests,” the statement read.
“In Nigeria, the law is too weak against the powerful but crushes the vulnerable. Remanding 52 citizens without case-by-case review is administrative injustice, not judicial discretion.”
Legal Flaws in Remand Orders
The group highlighted a “glaring paradox”: courts lacking jurisdiction over substantive cases cannot justify liberty deprivation via remand. It accused the use of ex-parte orders under Edo State’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of violating Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees fair hearing.
They demanded urgent ACJL amendments to curb such “systemic abuse.”
NANS Accused of Betrayal
The Security Situation Room lambasted the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for its “reprehensible silence,” calling it a shift from student vanguard to “hirelings” prioritizing politics over protection.”
While we defend dissent, we reject anarchy—violence, highway theft of cattle, rams, and goats during protests is criminal,” the statement noted.
“Thieves must face justice, but not the innocent.”
The unrest stems from “incessant kidnappings” along the Ekpoma axis. The group urged Edo State Government to deploy recently procured Hilux vans and motorcycles against bandits.
The group demanded that the Police review remand files for immediate release of innocents.
Crackdown on Ekpoma kidnapping syndicates.”Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice,” the statement quoted.
