Hundreds of youths from across Ondo State on Monday stormed Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area, to protest the continued detention of Prince Owolemi Emorioloye by security operatives.

The protesters described the arrest as unlawful and called for Emorioloye’s immediate and unconditional release, insisting that his continued detention violated his fundamental human rights.

They demanded full disclosure of his whereabouts, the legal basis for his arrest and the authority responsible, warning against what they described as the use of state security apparatus to silence legitimate political criticism.

The peaceful protest temporarily disrupted traffic along major routes in Ore as motorists slowed down to observe the large turnout.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Release Owolemi Emorioloye Unconditionally,” “End Political High-Handedness Now” and “Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right.”

The youths accused authorities of weaponising security agencies against dissenting voices.

Addressing journalists, the President of the National Democratic Youth Movement described Emorioloye’s arrest as “a blatant miscarriage of justice” that raised serious concerns about democratic governance.

He said the manner in which the activist was allegedly whisked away and held incommunicado was inconsistent with the rule of law and due process.

Also speaking, a representative of the constituency, Hon. Henry Okunomo, said the protest went beyond one individual, warning that actions perceived as authoritarian could erode public confidence in democracy.

“Prince Owolemi Emorioloye is a member of my constituency. This agitation is not just about him; it is a statement against illegality, impunity and political high-handedness,” Okunomo said.

He cautioned that nobody should take actions capable of denting the democratic credentials of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The youths stressed that while no citizen was above the law, no one should be subjected to warrantless arrest, incommunicado detention or denial of access to family and legal counsel.

They called on the Federal Government, the National Assembly, the Nigeria Police Force, the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations and the international community to intervene, vowing not to be intimidated.