By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Some suspects recently released after being arrested on allegations of burning the Rivers State House of Assembly complex have said that they were offered N200 million to implicate Edison Ehie, the chief of staff to the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The suspects, who were recently exonerated and acquitted by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt after spending about 8 months in a correctional centre, while speaking with journalists at a press conference, said that they were forced to implicate Ehie in the fire incident that led to the demolition of sections of the complex.
Speaking on behalf of the four exonerated suspects, Chime Ezebalike told journalists that they were arrested, detained, and tortured for about eight months for refusing to implicate the suspended Chief of Staff in the incident.
He explained that they were implicated because of their relationship with Ehie, as the three of them, Ezebalike, Kenneth, and Oladele, were known friends of Ehie and Sokari Goodboy, while MacPherson was allegedly an unfortunate victim of mere proximity.
Narrating their ordeal, Ezebalike said, “Starting in December 2023, we—Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini—were individually and collectively subjected to arrest, intimidation, physical assault, and psychological torture. All of these happened between December 5, 2023, and January 16, 2024.
“At some point, we were offered bribes in exchange for our freedom, even though it was clear that we had committed no offense that warranted our being arrested and detained. Three of us – Chime, Kenneth, and Oladele are known associates of Rt. Hon. Ehie Edison and Hon. Sokari Goodboy, while MacPherson was an unfortunate victim of mere proximity.
“Our ordeal began with the arbitrary arrest of Oladele Lukman on December 5, 2023. On December 16, Chime and MacPherson were violently apprehended at Ogbakiri junction along the East-West Road while returning from a funeral in Ahoada. On January 5, 2024, Kenneth Kpasa was forcefully taken in GRA, Port Harcourt, by a convoy of no fewer than three Hilux vans.
“We were blindfolded and taken to the Federal-Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) unit along the Eastern Bypass in Port Harcourt under the false pretense that the vehicle we were travelling in was stolen. It was later revealed that this was a ruse intended to force us into implicating Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie in three serious allegations: the murder of Supol Bako Angbashim, the assassination attempt on Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.
“At the Federal-Intelligence Response Team facility, multiple attempts were made to coerce us into making false confessions. We were denied access to legal representation and, when permitted to write statements, were stopped midway for not writing what they wanted – statements that falsely implicated Edison Ehie and others.
“When we resisted and refused, they resorted to beatings, starvation, and psychological torture. Days later, we were offered money, alongside promises of a fully paid trip to Ghana or any country of our choice with our families, in exchange for implicating Edison Ehie. We rejected it all.
“On December 19, 2023, Chime and MacPherson were forcibly transferred to Abuja by road and arrived on December 20 to yet another round of inhuman treatment. Kenneth Kpasa, also subjected to a brutal experience in Port Harcourt, was later moved to Abuja. In his case, the same bribe of N200 million and a trip to Ghana for him and his family was offered.
“Shockingly, security agents even instructed another detainee to identify Kenneth as an arsonist in exchange for his own release. Kenneth later identified this man, Donald, by his voice. The same individual, according to the late Supol Bako’s girlfriend, used to deliver food to the deceased. Donald confessed to Kenneth that he was pressured by the police to falsely frame him.
“Due to deteriorating health, vomiting, high blood pressure, and fever, MacPherson was released on January 16, 2024. Shortly after, other suspects were brought into custody on new, unrelated allegations tied to the murder of Supol Bako.
“Despite our innocence, the charges against us inexplicably grew from 3 to 7. We were remanded in Kuje Correctional Facility for six months. The case was eventually transferred to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt due to jurisdictional issues.
“Finally, in November 2024, after almost a year of suffering, the charges against us were dismissed. It was a silent admission of the grave injustice we suffered.”
These revelations come barely a week after the former Head of Service of Rivers State, George Nwaeke said the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Ehie were involved in the fire incident that led to the partial demolition of the Rivers State Assembly complex.
Nigerian Tribune