…our ordeals in detention, by acquitted
Four former suspects in the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex have raised alarm over renewed pressure to falsely accuse the suspended Chief of Staff to the Government House, Edison Ehie, as the mastermind of the attack.
The youths—Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini—were initially arrested and detained for over six months before being discharged by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on behalf of the group in Port Harcourt on Monday, Ezebalike alleged that some top members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State had approached them with offers to change their original statements and implicate Ehie in the incident.
He specifically claimed that a PDP leader from Obio/Akpor local government met with them, urging them to align their testimonies with the recent statement made by former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, who linked Ehie to the arson.
He said: “Even after our ordeal and when we thought we could return to normal life, only a few days ago, one of us was called by a PDP leader in Obio/Akpor, to come and meet with one of their leaders.
“Upon further prodding he said they were reaching out to us to persuade us to re-write our story in order to implicate Edison Ehie as the sponsor or mastermind of the fire incident at the Assembly complex as a follow-up to former Head of Service, George Nwaeke’s press briefing in Abuja.
“This has prompted us to speak out, as we do not want to be part of any nefarious act especially after the torture we faced.”
Ezebalike recounted their ordeals while in detention saying they endured six to eight months of torture in the hands of security agencies and other political actors following the burning of the Assembly complex on 29th October, 2023.
He said that they were arrested because of their relationship with Ehie confirming that while he, Kenneth and Oladele are known associates of Ehie and Sokari Goodboy, MacPherson was allegedly an unfortunate victim of mere proximity.
He said: “For six to eight months we endured an unjust, harrowing experience in the hands of security agencies and political actors. Our offence was because we refused to frame individuals including the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government, Ehie as masterminds of the Rivers State House of Assembly inferno.
“Starting from December 2023 we: Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini were individually and collectively subjected to arrest, intimidation, physical assault, psychological torture. All of this 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 offence that warranted our being arrested and detained.
“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; an assassination attempt on 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.”
Ezebalike, claimed that a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly arrived with a uniformed officer and personally pressured them to implicate Ehie in the Assembly complex fire incident and when they resisted, they were subjected to beatings, starvation, and psychological torture.
He said that days later, the same lawmaker and another politician returned with a bribe offer of money and a fully paid trip to Ghana or any country of their choice with their families, in exchange for implicating Ehie but they rejected the offer, showcasing their commitment to telling the truth.
He added that he and MacPherson were forcibly transferred to Abuja, where they faced another round of inhumane treatment adding that Kpasa was also subjected to brutal experiences in Port Harcourt and later moved to Abuja, where he was offered ₦200million and a trip to Ghana for him and his family to falsely implicate Ehie.
He said: “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, ₦200 million and a trip to Ghana for him and his family.
“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.”
