Four individuals who were previously detained in connection with the Rivers Assembly fire have come forward with serious allegations, claiming they are being pressured to change their statements to implicate Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
During a press conference in Rivers State on Monday, April 7, 2025, Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini, who were acquitted of charges related to the Rivers Assembly fire after spending nearly six months in Kuje Correctional Facility, shared their ordeal.
Ezebalike stated that they were recently approached by a prominent member of the PDP in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, who urged them to revise their previous statements. During the press briefing in Port Harcourt, three of the four men agreed to speak on camera about the pressure they were facing.
The acquitted individuals described the request as part of a broader political scheme aimed at supporting claims made by former Head of Service George Nwaeke during a briefing in Abuja. They stated, “We were asked to rewrite our story and falsely name Edison Ehie as the mastermind behind the Rivers Assembly fire. After everything we have been through, we cannot be involved in such a plot.”
The crimes they were initially accused of include the Rivers Assembly fire, the murder of Bako Angbashim, a DPO in Ahaoda Area, and an alleged assassination attempt on the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule.
The men recounted their traumatic experiences since their arrests in December 2023. Oladele was arrested on December 5, Chime and MacPherson on December 16, and Kenneth on January 5. They reported being detained at the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt, where they claimed they were tortured, denied legal access, and coerced into signing false confessions.
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One disturbing incident involved a serving member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who reportedly visited them with a uniformed officer and pressured them to implicate Ehie. “When we refused, they resorted to beatings and starvation,” they said.
Additionally, they accused a former Local Government Chairman of attempting to bribe them with ₦200 million and offers of relocation abroad in exchange for their cooperation. These bribes were allegedly presented again during their detention in Abuja.
In one instance, they detailed that a fellow detainee was promised freedom in exchange for naming Kenneth Kpasa as an arsonist.
After more than six months in Kuje Correctional Facility, the case was taken to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where all charges were eventually dropped in November 2024.
Now that they are free, the men feel it is essential to speak out not only for themselves but also for other innocent citizens who may be suffering in silence. “This country belongs to us all. No one should be tortured or forced to lie for political convenience. We urge civil society, the media, and all justice-loving Nigerians to rise up and resist the abuse of state institutions against innocent citizens,” they concluded.
