April 07, (THEWILL) – Four individuals recently acquitted in connection with the 2023 arson incident at the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged that they were offered ₦200 million and an overseas relocation package to falsely implicate Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, in the incident.

The suspects — Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini — were discharged in November 2024 after spending over six months in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, Ezebalike, who spoke on behalf of the group, claimed they were approached by a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and asked to revise their testimonies to name Ehie as the architect of the Assembly fire.

“We were asked to rewrite our statements and falsely accuse Edison Ehie of masterminding the Assembly fire. After the trauma we went through, we could not be part of any plot, political or otherwise,” Ezebalike said.

The suspects further alleged that their case was being politicised, and referenced recent claims by former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, as part of a broader narrative.

According to them, they were pressured to link Ehie not only to the Assembly fire but also to the killing of the Divisional Police Officer in Ahoada, Bako Angbashim, and an alleged attempt on the life of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule.

Kpasa alleged that a serving lawmaker and a security officer visited them during their detention and pressured them to cooperate. “When persuasion failed, we were subjected to beatings and denied food,” he said, adding that another detainee was allegedly promised freedom in exchange for identifying him as an arsonist.

They also claimed that a former local government chairman repeated the bribe offer — ₦200 million and relocation abroad — during their transfer to Abuja.

Recounting their arrests, the group said Oladele was picked up on December 5, 2023; Chime and MacPherson on December 16; and Kenneth on January 5, 2024.

They alleged that they were blindfolded, detained at the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt, and coerced into signing confessional statements without legal representation.

Efforts to independently verify the claims or obtain comments from the named individuals were unsuccessful as of press time. However, the developments add a new dimension to the political tension in Rivers State, which has remained a flashpoint in recent months.