Three men recently acquitted in connection with the October 2023 bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex have alleged that they were pressured by unnamed political actors to falsely accuse Edison Ehie, Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, of masterminding the attack.
The trio, who spent nearly a year in detention, were discharged by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in November 2024, after what they described as a harrowing ordeal marked by unlawful detention, coercion, and political manipulation.
The incident in question occurred on October 29, 2023, when a bomb attack damaged a section of the assembly complex on the eve of an impeachment attempt on Governor Fubara by lawmakers aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The arson further deepened the rift within the state’s political establishment.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt, one of the acquitted men, Chime Ezebalike, claimed they were repeatedly pressured during detention to revise their statements and implicate Ehie, who at the time was a factional Speaker of the House loyal to Governor Fubara.
“We were asked to rewrite our story and falsely name Mr. Ehie as the mastermind of the assembly fire,” Ezebalike stated, alleging interference from unnamed political figures. “We cannot be part of any plot, especially after the trauma we endured.”
The suspects stopped short of naming those behind the alleged coercion, raising questions about the extent of political interference and due process violations in the case.
According to their account, they were arrested under unclear circumstances, blindfolded, and held at the Federal Intelligence Response Team facility in Port Harcourt, where they were denied legal representation and subjected to intense interrogation.
They also alleged attempts to link them to other serious crimes, including the murder of police officer Bako Angbashim in Ahoada and an alleged assassination plot against Assembly Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
Mr. Ehie, a lawyer and two-term legislator, became a central figure in the state’s political crisis following his emergence as a factional speaker during the assembly’s split.
He later resigned his position and seat as part of the peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu to quell the escalating feud between Governor Fubara and Minister Wike.
These revelations, if true, cast a shadow over the integrity of the investigative process and underscore the need for transparency and accountability in politically sensitive cases.
Credit: Premium Times except headline
