CSO seeks release of 48 arrested Bauchi poly students

A civil society organisation; Youth Arise Movement (YAM) has condemned what it described as the “unjust arrest and continued detention” of 48 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, who were picked up by police during a protest against rising incidents of armed robbery on their campus, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.

The CSO said the students were merely exercising their democratic rights when they staged a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, to demand protection, accountability, and urgent action from authorities.

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According to Comrade Babatunde Ademola, Convener of the Youth Arise Movement, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, the protest was triggered by repeated violent robberies that had endangered lives and disrupted academic activities.

“Instead of responding with concern and concrete solutions, the authorities chose to meet these just demands with force, arresting 48 students and attempting to silence their cry for safety,” Ademola said.

“Eyewitness accounts cited by the group alleged that the protesters were violently dispersed with volleys of teargas by fierce-looking and blood-sucking mobile police officers.” Ademola stressed that the action of law enforcement was “not only disproportionate but an abuse of power that must be condemned by all who believe in justice and the rule of law.”

He added that the students’ actions were peaceful, organised, and lawful, and that “it is not a crime to demand safety, it is not a crime to call for justice.”

The Youth Arise Movement insisted that the heavy-handed response amounted to a direct assault on the constitutional rights of freedom of expression, assembly, and protest.

“The true injustice lies in the failure of the authorities to protect students, and in the decision to criminalize those who speak out,” Ademola said, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained students.

The group also demanded that all charges against the arrested students be dropped, that there be a thorough investigation into the robbery incidents and the alleged inaction of security agencies, and that law enforcement issue a public apology for what it described as “unlawful arrests” and “violence used during the protest.”

Ademola vowed that civil society would not be silent while the voices of young people are suppressed, warning that the silencing of student voices “will not be tolerated.” He emphasized that “students are not criminals, they are citizens demanding accountability, dignity, and a better future,” and called on academic institutions, human rights organisations, and the general public to join in the push for justice.