Rivers Arson: Police Offered N200m to Lie Against Fubara’s CoS – Freed Suspects
Freed suspects in the Rivers Assembly arson case have alleged that they were tortured and offered N200 million to implicate Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The discharged individuals — Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini—spoke in Port Harcourt, saying their lives have remained under threat since they were cleared by the court.
“Our offence was because we refused to frame individuals, including the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, as masterminds behind the Rivers State House of Assembly inferno,” Ezebalike stated.
He added, “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.
“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.”
They further alleged they were accused of killing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ahoada Police Division, Bako Angbashim, as part of efforts to compel them to name Fubara’s loyalists as masterminds.
Ezebalike said, “We were tortured by police because we refused to implicate Edison or any other person that is linked to the governor in the arson.
“We decided to talk to journalists in order to clarify issues on the burning of the Rivers State Assembly.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
