My people, you don hear wetin dey happen for Ekpoma, Edo State? This one no be small matter o! Na 52 persons, including students from Ambrose Alli University, dem don lock up for Ubiaja Correctional Centre because of the protest wey turn violent last Saturday. Na the High Court for Benin did the arraignment, and matter don hot!
Dem say di protest na because of kidnappers wey don dey carry people away like say dem dey pack okra for market. But as usual, wetin we go expect? The thing don turn wahala as some hoodlums join body, carry attack traders and scatter road with burning tyres. Na there wey the whole gbege start, and police no waste time to lock plenty people up.
The suspects go face charges like malicious damage and armed robbery, wetin plenty lawyers dey talk say no make sense. One lawyer, Wisdom Isaac, don vex say nobody even complain about wetin them do, yet dem dey remand them like say dem be real criminals. You sabi how naija law dey work sometimes.
As the judge, Justice William Aziegbemi, don throway dem to prison, family members dey cry like say dem chop bitter leaf. Abdulsalam, wey be papa to two of di arrested boys, talk say him pikin no even participate for di protest, but here we are, na wetin we go fit do? Lawyers dey try file bail applications wey fit save dem, but e be like say dem go need strong voodoo to make am happen.
Another gisting be say many of di students claim say dem no dey involved o. Dem dey sleep for hostel when police pack dem like ogbono soup in di early hours. One anonymous student yarn say: ‘I just dey waka up when dem pack us. I no wan hear di word protest!’
NANS, di student body, don show support for di arrested students. Them dey call di whole thing ridiculous and dem no gree accept am. Samson Adeyemi, di National PRO, dey shout say dis kin treatment no go fit fly. Dem dey urge di government to listen to di concerns of di protesters instead of locking dem up.
Na so we dey see am for Naija: instead of make dem handle di matter wey dey cause di plenty wahala, dem dey find area to put blame. Di youth don dey speak, but wetin dem go hear? Some people dey even talk say di protest wey turn violent no be di students own, na di families of kidnap victims wey dey suffer back-to-back na dem organize am. But dem no go hear word!
With di case adjourned to February 26, we go dey here dey follow how e go take unfold. Naija, abeg, we need change! Make dem free our students before e go turn big wahala!
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