By Kadiri Christopher
The family of Collins Aigbogun has appealed strongly to the Nigeria Police, Edo State Command for his freedom from detention.
Speaking with pressmen recently in Benin City, the wife of Collins Aigbogun, Mrs Vivian Aigbogun appealed to the Nigeria Police to release her husband so he can reunite with the family.
According to Mrs Aigbogun, "My husband has been in detention since the 10th day of January. He was arrested at Ekpoma by the DSS and was taken immediately to Benin City. I was unable to see him for three days until he was transferred to the Police.
"All others who were arrested alongside with him have been released.
"I am appealing to anyone who is behind this to forgive him so he can be released and be reunited with me, our kids and his aged mother," she said.
Hon Collins Aigbogun brother, Mr Tom Aigbogun appealed strongly to the Edo State government and the Nigeria Police to release Hon Aigbogun so he can access medical treatment after three weeks in Police detention.
According to Mr Tom, "Hon Collins Aigbogun is passing through a health challenge and I want to beg the Police who have refused to prosecute nor grant him bail, to please release him so he can go for his healthcare.
"I beg the Police to release him so he can be reunited with his family and also his aged mother who is already feeling the shock of his detention," he said.
Earlier, Counsel to Hon Collins Aigbogun, Bright Iluobe Esq said in a public statement that, "As you may be aware, Hon COLLINS AIGBOGUN doubles as the immediate past council chairman of esan west local government area, and the immediate past special adviser to the edo state governor on youth mobilization. Our client was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on allegations that he organized and coordinated the said January 10, 2026 ekpoma protest. After spending three days in DSS custody, Hon COLLINS AIGBOGUN was transferred to the Edo State Police Command, where he remains in detention as at today without access to medical care for his already failing health.
"We state clearly that the continued detention of our client raises grave constitutional and legal concerns. From our instructions and 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.
"We must emphasize that this press briefing is not an invitation to try this matter in the media, nor is it intended to pre empt 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.
"In every constitutional democracy, it is accepted that the powers of the State, though wide, are not at large. They are circumscribed by law, exercised within defined limits, and always subject to constitutional restraint. Personal liberty is not a privilege dispensed at discretion, it is a right, only to be curtailed in strict accordance with due process.
"We have noted public speculation suggesting that the Executive Governor of Edo State is implicated in our client’s situation. We have no factual foundation for such assertions. Indeed, we are persuaded that His Excellency, as one sworn to uphold the Constitution, would not countenance any action that offends the rule of law or lends itself to arbitrariness. Regardless of the foregoing, 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 do not believe this to be the true position and we are confident that his Excellency, the Executive Governor of Edo State would not condone the unlawful or prolonged detention of any citizen without due process.
"Even assuming, without conceding, that our client played any role whatsoever in the organization of the protest, we must emphasize that peaceful protest is not a crime under Nigerian law. The rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are expressly guaranteed under Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
"It is also a matter of public knowledge that persons who were physically present and directly involved in the Ekpoma protest have since been released upon the intervention of the Governor of Edo State. The continued detention of our client HON COLLINS AIGBOGUN who was verifiably in Benin City at the material time is therefore discriminatory, disproportionate, and legally unjustifiable.
"Without prejudice to ongoing investigations, we want to emphasize that the rights to personal liberty, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly remain integral to our constitutional order. These rights are not suspended by civic engagement, nor are they forfeited by association with public interest. Any derogation must be justified by law and proportionate to a legitimate aim.
"The purpose of this press conference is to place the facts before the Nigerian public and to respectfully call the attention of the Executive Governor of Edo State, in his capacity as Chief Security Officer of the State, to intervene to ensure strict compliance with the law and the immediate restoration of our client’s liberty.
"We wish to place on record that our client and his family remain committed to peace and due process, but will not hesitate to invoke all available legal and constitutional remedies should this unlawful detention persist," he stressed.
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