Four men previously charged over the fire incident at the Rivers state House of Assembly in October 2023 have claimed they were pressured to falsely implicate Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The men, Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini, who were acquitted of all charges in November 2024, addressed journalists on Monday in Port Harcourt, revealing what they described as a six-month ordeal of unlawful detention and attempts to coerce them into political framing.
Ezebalike: They wanted us to lie against Edison Ehie
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ezebalike alleged that a well-known PDP leader in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area had reached out to them recently, offering incentives in exchange for a rewritten statement implicating Ehie as the architect of the Assembly fire.
“We were asked to rewrite our story and falsely name Edison Ehie as the mastermind of the Assembly fire. This is after everything we have been through. We cannot be part of any nefarious plot, especially not after the trauma we endured,” Ezebalike said.
The suspects claim the bribe offer included a staggering ₦200 million and a promise of relocation abroad all designed to corroborate claims previously made by the former Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, in a press briefing in Abuja.
Accused of arson, murder, and attempted assassination
The four men said they were falsely linked to the arson at the Assembly complex, the killing of SP Bako Angbashim — the Divisional Police Officer in Ahoada — and an alleged assassination attempt on the Speaker of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule.
Their arrests occurred between December 5, 2023, and January 5, 2024. During this period, they allege they were blindfolded, denied access to legal counsel, and held at the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt.
“We were beaten, starved, and forced to sign confessions we never wrote. A serving lawmaker even came with a uniformed officer to push us to name Edison Ehie, and when we refused, they became violent,” they said.
After spending over six months at the Kuje Correctional Facility in Abuja, the case was later moved to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where all charges were dismissed in November 2024.
With their freedom restored, the group says they feel a moral responsibility to expose the alleged abuse of state power and manipulation of justice.
“This country belongs to us all. No one should be tortured or forced to lie for political convenience. We call on civil society, the media, and all justice-loving Nigerians to rise and resist the weaponization of state institutions against innocent citizens,” Ezebalike declared.
Court orders Police, DSS against arresting Fubara’s ally
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, has ordered the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to desist from arresting the chief of staff to the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Edison Ehie.
Justice IPC Igwe of the trial court reportedly gave the order while ruling on the motion brought before him by Ehie, who was the applicant in the suit.
