Four individuals previously acquitted of involvement in the fire incident at the Rivers State House of Assembly have accused political figures of attempting to coerce them into implicating Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The men — Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini — were discharged in November 2024 after spending six months in Kuje Correctional Facility.

Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday, Ezebalike revealed that they were recently approached by a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, who allegedly urged them to alter their statements to falsely indict Ehie.

Three of the four acquitted men appeared on camera during the briefing, expressing concern over what they described as a wider political plot to validate earlier claims made by former Head of Service, George Nwaeke, at a separate press event in Abuja.

“We were asked to rewrite our story and name Edison Ehie as the mastermind behind the Assembly fire. After all we’ve endured, we cannot participate in any nefarious scheme. The trauma we faced was bad enough,” Ezebalike said.

According to them, the alleged scheme also includes efforts to link Ehie to other crimes, including the murder of Divisional Police Officer Bako Angbashim in Ahoada and a purported assassination attempt on the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule.

They recounted a harrowing ordeal that began in December 2023, when they were allegedly arrested under questionable circumstances. Oladele was picked up on 5 December, followed by Chime and MacPherson on 16 December, and Kenneth on 5 January 2024. All four claimed they were blindfolded and taken to the Federal Intelligence Response Team (F-IRT) facility in Port Harcourt, where they were reportedly tortured, denied legal counsel, and forced to sign false confessions.

In one particularly disturbing account, the men said a serving member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, accompanied by a uniformed officer, visited them in custody to pressure them into implicating Ehie.

“When we refused, they turned to beatings and starvation,” they alleged.

They further claimed that a former local government chairman offered them ₦200 million and promises of relocation abroad in exchange for their cooperation. These inducements, they said, were repeated during their detention in Abuja, where some were forcibly transferred.

In one instance, a fellow detainee was allegedly promised his release if he falsely identified Kenneth Kpasa as an arsonist.

After spending more than six months in detention, the case was transferred to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where all charges against them were dropped in November 2024.

Now free, the men say they are determined to speak out — not just for themselves but for other innocent Nigerians who may be suffering in silence.

“This country belongs to all of us. No one should be tortured or coerced into lying for political purposes. We are calling on civil society, the media, and justice-loving Nigerians to rise and resist the weaponisation of state institutions against innocent citizens,” they said.