Four individuals who were previously detained over the fire outbreak at the Rivers State House of Assembly have come forward with troubling allegations, claiming they are under intense pressure to falsely implicate Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The individuals—Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini—were acquitted in November 2024 after spending roughly six months at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Speaking during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, Ezebalike alleged that a prominent leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Obio/Akpor LGA approached them to change their original statements, instructing them to name Edison Ehie as the orchestrator of the Assembly fire.
Three of the four appeared publicly on camera, revealing that the coercion is tied to a broader political agenda, seemingly intended to support earlier claims made by former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, during a media event in Abuja. “We were told to rewrite our statements and falsely accuse Edison Ehie of masterminding the arson. After all we’ve been through, we won’t be part of such deceitful schemes,” Ezebalike said.
Beyond the fire incident, they claim the plotters also want them to link Ehie to the brutal murder of DPO Bako Angbashim in Ahaoda, and an alleged assassination attempt on House Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
Recounting their harrowing experience, the men described suffering torture, denial of legal rights, and coercion into signing confessions under duress—beginning from December 2023. They alleged that a member of the State Assembly personally visited them with a police officer, pressuring them to implicate Ehie, and when they refused, they were subjected to beatings and starvation.
In a shocking twist, the group also claimed they were offered ₦200 million and relocation abroad by a former local government chairman in exchange for their cooperation. The inducements allegedly continued during their detention in Abuja, where others were promised freedom if they framed one of them, Kenneth Kpasa, as the arsonist.
Calling for national attention, they urged civil society, the media, and all justice-seeking Nigerians to rise against the misuse of state institutions. “This country belongs to all of us,” Ezebalike said. “No citizen should be tortured or blackmailed into telling political lies.”
By Anthony Ogbekile
