Ekpoma Protest Sponsored from Abroad, Edo Govt Insists

The Edo State Government has rejected claims that the violence recorded in Ekpoma was a protest, insisting it was a coordinated riot funded by individuals outside the country.

In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Patrick Ebojele, the government said investigations traced the unrest to a Nigerian living in Russia and other overseas collaborators who allegedly mobilized and financed attacks in Ekpoma, Auchi, Irrua, and parts of Benin City.
Authorities also dismissed reports linking the arrested suspects to Ambrose Alli University, stating that the institution was closed at the time and students had vacated hostels long before the incident.
The government maintained that those apprehended were identified through video evidence and intercepted while attempting acts of vandalism, adding that the unrest followed the January 9 kidnapping and killing of a young man, which had heightened tension in the area.