The family of Collins Aigbogun, a former Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation to Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday expressed deep concern over his continued detention following his arrest in connection with an anti-kidnapping protest in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area.
Aigbogun was taken into custody on January 10, after the protest escalated into violence. While other participants have since been released, the family said he remains in police custody despite being accused only of having knowledge of the protest.
Speaking at a press briefing in Benin, Aigbogun’s brother and lawyer, Bright Iluobe, said the detention raises serious constitutional and legal concerns.
“We state clearly that the continued detention of our client raises grave constitutional and legal concerns.
From our investigations, this arrest appears to be part of a recurring pattern of harassment, calculated to diminish our client’s political influence and silence his legitimate civic engagement,” Iluobe said.
He added, “This press briefing is not an invitation to try this matter in the media, nor is it intended to preempt the course of any investigation. Rather, it is a measured intervention prompted by the well-settled principle that where liberty is restrained, the law must speak clearly and act promptly.”
Iluobe also addressed reports linking the governor to Aigbogun’s detention, stressing that they did not believe the allegations to be true.
“We are particularly concerned by reports alleging that certain individuals are invoking the name of the Executive Governor of Edo State as being responsible for our client’s ordeal. We are confident that His Excellency would not condone the unlawful or prolonged detention of any citizen without due process,” he said.
Aigbogun’s wife, Vivian, spoke of the emotional and psychological toll the detention has had on her family, particularly their two-month-old baby.
“I am appealing to the governor, who is our father, to see my husband as a son and call for his release. I was called on the phone that my husband had been arrested; I could not see him until he was transferred to the police station. All those arrested regarding the protest have been released. I am a nursing mother and I am struggling to cope with this situation,” she said.
His elder brother, Tom Aigbogun, said the prolonged detention has also affected their elderly mother.
The incident stems from a protest on January 10, when angry residents of Ekpoma demonstrated against the killing of a youth by suspected kidnappers. Residents blocked the town’s entry and exit points, confronting security officials over the need to tackle insecurity.
A video circulating on social media showed the corpse of the deceased paraded through the community, while protesters set tyres ablaze, forcing motorists to turn back. The protest later escalated into a riot, prompting Governor Okpebholo, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, and other officials to relocate to the town before normalcy was restored.
