Governor Okpebholo jails Collins Aigbogun without charges

Two weeks after Ekpoma boiled over, a fired Edo power player is still locked up, uncharged, and everyone is side-eyeing the governor.

What kicked this whole thing off

• Right, residents of Ekpoma in Esan West Local Government Area staged an anti-kidnapping protest.
• The rally targeted rising abductions and bandit attacks, messing with daily life.

Who ended up in custody

• Enter Collins Aigbogun, the immediate past Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation to Monday Okpebholo.
• He was still holding that adviser role when police picked him up on January 11, 2026, a day after the protest.

Why does his name already carry baggage

• Before the arrest, Okpebholo had already kicked Aigbogun out as chairman of Esan West council.
• That removal also snapped his tie to the Peoples Democratic Party, dating back to the administration of Godwin Obaseki.

What the police have not done

• Despite days turning into weeks, there is still no court charge on record.
• He remains in police custody, and that gap is what set everyone off.

What critics are alleging

• Local groups and rights advocates keep saying this detention did not just happen randomly.
• The claim floating around is that the arrest followed instructions tied to Governor Okpebholo.
• Another accusation is that police are poking at Aigbogun as a protest organizer, without proof.

Who is yelling the loudest

• Talakawa Parliament stepped forward, swinging.
• The group labeled the detention unjust and unconstitutional and demanded his immediate, unconditional release.

What their leader is arguing

• Kola Edokpayi, described as the group’s spiritual leader, went public at a press conference in Benin City on January 23, 2026.
• He accused security agencies of trampling rights protected under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended.
• According to him, there is zero evidence tying Aigbogun to planning or funding the Ekpoma protest.

Why the governor’s earlier comments matter

• Edokpayi pointed back to Okpebholo’s earlier claim that the protest was bankrolled by an unnamed Nigerian allegedly based in Russia, along with other Edo people living abroad.
• He argued that this story does not line up with keeping Aigbogun locked up.

Where the group says focus should shift

• Talakawa Parliament urged the governor to step in, framing it as a justice issue.
• They also pushed security agencies to redirect attention toward stopping kidnappings and banditry, instead of holding an uncharged suspect.