BREAKING: Exonerated Suspects Allege N200m Bribe Offer to Frame Edison Ehie in Rivers Assembly Bombing

Released suspects in the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, have alleged that they were offered N200million to frame Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara in the bombing incident that occurred in 2023 at the Assembly complex.

The suspects who were recently exonerated and acquitted by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, while speaking with journalists on Monday, during a press conference alleged that they were forced to implicate Ehie, in the arson

The exonerated suspects: Chime Ezebalike and three others told journalists they were arrested, detained, and tortured for about eight months for refusing to link the suspended Chief of Staff in the incident.

Speaking, Ezebalike who led the other acquitted suspects, explained that they were implicated because of their relationship with Ehie, as the three of them, Ezebalike, Kenneth, and Oladele, are known friends of Ehie and Sokari Goodboy, while MacPherson was allegedly an unfortunate victim of mere proximity.

Narrating the ordeal, Ezebalike said “Starting from December 2023 we: Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini were individually and collectively subjected to arrest, intimidation, physical assault, psychological torture. All of this happened between December 5, 2023, and January 16, 2024.

“At some point, we were offered bribes in exchange for our freedom even though it was clear that we had committed no offence that warranted our being arrested and detained. Three of us—Chime, Kenneth, and Oladele are known associates of Rt. Hon. Ehie Edison and Hon. Sokari Goodboy, while MacPherson was an unfortunate victim of mere proximity.

“Our ordeal began with the arbitrary arrest of Oladele Lukman on December 5, 2023. On December 16, Chime and MacPherson were violently apprehended at Ogbakiri Junction along the East-West Road while returning from a funeral in Ahoada. On January 5, 2024, Kenneth Kpasa was forcefully taken in GRA, Port Harcourt, by a convoy of no fewer than three Hilux vans.

“We were blindfolded and taken to the Federal-Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) unit along the Eastern Bypass in Port Harcourt, under the false pretence that the vehicle we were travelling in was stolen. It was later revealed that this was a ruse intended to force us into implicating Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie in three serious allegations: the murder of Supol Bako Angbashim, assassination attempt on Hon. Martins Amaewhule and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.”

They continued that “At the Federal-Intelligence Response Team facility, multiple attempts were made to coerce us into making false confessions. We were denied access to legal representation and, when permitted to write statements, were stopped midway for not writing what they wantedstatements that falsely implicated Edison Ehie and others.

“When we resisted and refused, they resorted to beatings, starvation, and psychological torture.Days later, we were offered money, alongside promises of a fully paid trip to Ghana or any country of our choice with our families, in exchange for implicating Edison Ehie. We rejected it all.

“On December 19, 2023, Chime and MacPherson were forcibly transferred to Abuja by road and arrived on December 20 to yet another round of inhuman treatment. Kenneth Kpasa, also subjected to a brutal experience in Port Harcourt, was later moved to Abuja. In his case, the same bribe ₦200million and a trip to Ghana for him and his family was offered.

“Shockingly, security agents even instructed another detainee to identify Kenneth as an arsonist in exchange for his own release. Kenneth later identified this man, Donald, by his voice. The same individual, according to the late Supol Bako’s girlfriend, used to deliver food to the deceased. Donald confessed to Kenneth that he was pressured by the police to falsely frame him.

“Due to deteriorating health, vomiting, high blood pressure, and fever, MacPherson was released on January 16, 2024. Shortly after, other suspects were brought into custody on new, unrelated allegations tied to the murder of Supol Bako.

Despite our innocence, the charges against us inexplicably grew from 3 to 7. We were remanded in Kuje Correctional Facility for six months. The case was eventually transferred to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt due to jurisdictional issues.

Finally, in November 2024, after almost a year of suffering, the charges against us were dismissed. It was a silent admission of the grave injustice we suffered”.

Meanwhile, the exonerated suspects have noted that despite their ordeal there is a fresh plot by some Stalwarts of People Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to frame Ehie.

They raised the alarm claiming they were approached by a PDP leader in Obio/Akpor, who asked them to meet with one of their leaders.

During the meeting, Ezebalike said they were allegedly asked to rewrite their story to implicate Ehie as the mastermind behind the fire incident in order to corroborate the press briefing by former head of service, George Nwaeke, in Abuja.

He said: “We address you today as citizens, indigenes and residents of Rivers State who feel a need to set records straight in the light of the happenings in our state and who became victims due to no fault of ours.

“Even after our ordeal and when we thought we could return to normal life, only a few days ago, one of us was called by a PDP leader in Obio/Akpor, to come and meet with one of their leaders.

“Upon further prodding he said they were reaching out to us to persuade us to rewrite our story in order to implicate Rt Hon Edison Ehie as the sponsor or mastermind of the fire incident at the Assembly complex as a follow up to former head of service, George Nwaeke’s press briefing in Abuja. This has prompted us to speak out, as we do not want to be part of any nefarious act especially after the torture we faced.”

Ezebalike further expressed that “This press briefing is not just to tell our story, it is a call to action. No innocent youth of Rivers State should ever have to endure the torment we survived. We speak today because others may not have the strength or support system to withstand what we did.

We believe that Nigeria remains the only country we have and no Nigerian deserves to be tortured, humiliated and hounded like we were.”

Demanding for justice for everyone, they “call on civil society, the media, and justice-loving Nigerians to stand with us in ensuring that no political agenda ever weaponises the state’s security apparatus against innocent citizens”, adding that “This country is bigger than any one of us and all of us deserve to live in a country where no one is oppressed”.