Following the intervention of Edo State High Court 1, Nigeria’s secret Police, otherwise known as the Department of State Services (DSS), today released Comrades Kola Edokpayi and Handson Orako, six days after their unlawful incarceration.
The presiding judge openly questioned the rationale behind the DSS’s continued targeting of peaceful activists, while criminal elements such as kidnappers and cultists continue to terrorize our communities with apparent impunity.
The court granted the comrades an administrative bail which civil society sees as a testament to the power of collective resistance and judicial oversight.
“Over the past days, our community stood united in protest, demanding their immediate and unconditional release—a demand rooted in justice, human rights, and the protection of civic space,” the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Edo State said today in a statement jointly signed by Rev. David Ugolor and Barrister Abraham Oviawe.
They commended the courage and clarity of the presiding judge for upholding the rule of law in the face of arbitrary detention.
Below is the full text of the statement, following the release of the activists:
The civil society community of Edo State warmly welcomes the release of our comrades, Marxist activist Kola Edokpayi and Comrade Orako Ambel, who were unlawfully detained by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Their release follows a firm intervention by the Edo State High Court 1, which upheld the rule of law in the face of arbitrary detention.
We commend the courage and clarity of the presiding judge, who openly questioned the rationale behind the DSS’s continued targeting of peaceful activists, while criminal elements such as kidnappers and cultists continue to terrorize our communities with apparent impunity.
The administrative bail granted to our comrades is a testament to the power of collective resistance and judicial oversight. Over the past days, our community stood united in protest, demanding their immediate and unconditional release—a demand rooted in justice, human rights, and the protection of civic space.
This incident once again draws urgent attention to the troubling conduct of security agencies in Edo State. We reiterate our call for transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to constitutional responsibilities by all arms of the security apparatus.
As we celebrate the safe return of our comrades, we remain resolute in our struggle for a just society—one where dissent is not criminalized, and citizens are free to speak truth to power without fear of persecution.
It would be recalled that the duo was picked up on April 30, 2025 in connection with preparation to stage a solidarity protest in support of Captain Ibrahim Traore, the President of Burkina Faso, and against imperialism and neo-colonialism.
According to sources, the DSS operatives invaded Edokpayi’s office, ransacked it, and arrested them. The action was reportedly taken despite the fact that the Commissioner of Police, Edo State, had already met with Edokpayi and his team the previous day, and the planned protest was called off.
Following the arrest and detention, representatives of the Civil Society community in Edo State, on May 1, 2025, met with the State Director of DSS, during which time the detention of the activists was addressed in a discussion and the Director assured that they would be released unconditionally on or before Friday, May 2, 2025.
However, the DSS Director reneged in his promise as the activists remain detained until today.
Their continued detention prompted further action of the Civil Society, which included a letter of appeal to the DSS Director on May 3, 2025, jointly signed by the Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev David Ugolor and Legal Adviser, Barr Abraham Oviawe.
In the letter, they reminded the DSS Director of his unfulfilled promise to release the detained activist when they met with him on May 1, 2025.
The continued detention of the activists, they said had given rise to growing concern within “our community, especially as it appears the continued detention may exceed the period permissible under the law.”
They revisited the understanding reached at the previous meeting regarding the reason for the arrest, which according to them were understood to have been amicably addressed by the Edo State Police Commissioner which resulted in the suspension of the solidarity protest initially planned in good faith in anticipation of their release.
They called for an update on the status of Mr. Edokpayi and Mr. Orako, including confirmation of any transfer, as is being speculated in some quarters and facilitate their access to legal representation and family visits in accordance with their constitutional rights “and our shared commitment to justice and fairness.”
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