By Emmanuel Abi Couson
The melodrama in River State political landscape got a new scene today when four individuals previously detained in connection with the fire incident at the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged fresh attempts to coerce them into altering their original statements to falsely implicate Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The individuals—Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini—were acquitted in November 2024 after spending about six months in detention at Kuje Correctional Facility.
At a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, Ezebalike claimed they were recently contacted by a prominent leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, who allegedly urged them to revise their narratives to implicate Ehie.
Three of the four acquitted suspects appeared on camera during the briefing, disclosing that the alleged pressure was tied to a broader political scheme aimed at corroborating claims made by former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, during a press conference in Abuja.
“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 further alleged that the crimes they were being asked to falsely link Ehie to include the Assembly fire, the murder of Bako Angbashim—a Divisional Police Officer in Ahoada—and an alleged assassination attempt on the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule.
They recounted their harrowing ordeal, which began with their arrests under allegedly dubious circumstances: Oladele was arrested on December 5, 2023, followed by Chime and MacPherson on December 16, and Kenneth on January 5, 2024. They alleged that they were blindfolded and detained at the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt, where they were tortured, denied access to legal representation, and coerced into signing false confessions.
One particularly disturbing incident, they said, involved a serving member of the Rivers State House of Assembly who, accompanied by a uniformed officer, visited them in detention and pressured them to implicate Ehie.
“When we refused, they turned to beatings and starvation,” the suspects alleged.
They also accused a former Local Government Chairman of offering them ₦200 million and the promise of overseas relocation in exchange for cooperation. They claimed similar inducements were offered again during their detention in Abuja, where some of them had been forcibly transferred.
In one instance, they recounted, another detainee was promised freedom if he agreed to identify Kenneth Kpasa as an arsonist.
After more than six months behind bars, the matter was transferred to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where all charges against them were dismissed in November 2024.
Now free, they say they are determined to speak out—not only for themselves but for other innocent Nigerians who may be suffering similar fates.
“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 said.
