Court Remands 5 Rivers Assembly Attack Suspects

… As Ex-Lawmaker Frowns On Lawsuit

The immediate past factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Edison Ehie, has reacted to a terrorism-related charge instituted by the Federal Government against ‘suspected terrorists’ who allegedly attacked and set the Rivers State House of Assembly on fire in October, 2023.

Ehie, through his lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoyin, contended that the Federal Government should not have featured his name prominently on the charges because he was not an accomplice in the crime.

The five defendants, namely Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod, were arraigned before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday on 7-count charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024.

They were accused of joining forces with Ehie and others, now at large, to wreak havoc on the state assembly building.

The charges read in part, “That you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37 years, business man of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47 years of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon Edison Ehie and others now at large on 29th of October 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, while acting in concert conspired together to commit felony to wit: acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 26 (1) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“That you Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37 years, business man of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47 years of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon Edison Ehie and others now at large on 29th of October 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, while acting in concert and armed with dynamite, iron rods, lighters and other offensive weapons willfully and maliciously invaded, attacked and set fire on the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

When the charges were read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.

Ehie’s lawyer, Aladedoyin, who was not listed as a defendant in the case, questioned why the Federal Government claimed that he was at large when he was not a defendant in the matter.

However, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lukman Fagbemi, who represented Chime Eguma Ezebalike and Prince Lukman Oladele, asked the judge to grant his clients bail on liberal terms.

But the government’s lawyer, Audu Garba, opposed the application for bail on the grounds that it was served on him today and he would need time to reply to them.

Replying to the lawyers, Justice Olajuwon said the application for bail was not ripe for hearing, adding she will hear it on February 2.

Subsequently, the judge ordered that the five defendants be remanded at the Nigeria Correctional Service, Kuje, pending hearing and determination of the bail applications.