Four individuals previously detained and acquitted in connection with the 2023 fire at the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged attempts to coerce them into implicating Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff, to suspend Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The individuals – Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini – were freed in November 2023 after spending about six months in Kuje Correctional Facility. They made the allegations during a press briefing held Monday in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ezebalike claimed they were recently approached by a senior leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, who allegedly urged them to alter their initial statements to falsely indict Ehie.
Three of the four former suspects appeared on camera, stating that the alleged attempt to manipulate their testimony was part of a broader political plot aimed at backing recent accusations made by former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, during a media briefing in Abuja.
“We were asked to rewrite our story and falsely name Edison Ehie as the mastermind of the Assembly fire. This is after everything we have been through. We cannot be part of any nefarious plot, especially not after the trauma we endured,” Ezebalike said.
