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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 85118, member: 27"] 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 [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Who ended up in custody [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Why does his name already carry baggage [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] What the police have not done [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] What critics are alleging [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Who is yelling the loudest [LIST] [*]Talakawa Parliament stepped forward, swinging. [*]The group labeled the detention unjust and unconstitutional and demanded his immediate, unconditional release. [/LIST] What their leader is arguing [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Why the governor’s earlier comments matter [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] Where the group says focus should shift [LIST] [*]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. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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