Four men previously charged in connection with the October 2023 arson attack on the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged that they were offered ₦200 million to falsely implicate Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The men — Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini — were acquitted in November 2024 after spending nearly six months in detention at the Kuje Correctional Facility, Abuja.
Speaking at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, Ezebalike claimed a prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figure from Obio/Akpor Local Government Area contacted them with the demand to alter their statements and name Ehie as the mastermind 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 stated.
According to the group, their ordeal began in December 2023, with Lukman arrested first on the 5th, followed by Ezebalike and Olumini on the 16th, and Kpasa on January 5, 2024.
They recounted being blindfolded and detained at the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt, where they were allegedly tortured, denied legal representation, and forced to sign false confessions.
They said their arrest was tied to broader political motives, referencing earlier claims made by former Rivers Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke.
The original charges included arson at the Assembly complex, involvement in the killing of Divisional Police Officer SP Bako Angbashim in Ahoada, and an attempted assassination of Assembly Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
The suspects further alleged that a serving member of the House of Assembly, accompanied by a uniformed officer, visited them in custody and pressured them to accuse Ehie.
“When we refused, they turned to beatings and starvation,” they said.
They also claimed that a former Local Government Chairman offered them ₦200 million and the promise of relocation abroad in exchange for cooperation. Additionally, a fellow detainee was allegedly offered freedom in return for identifying Kpasa as an arsonist.
Following their acquittal by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, the men said they chose to speak out in the interest of justice and public accountability.
“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,” they declared.
