Court sends Fubara’s supporters to prison over attack on Rivers Assembly. The five supporters – Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thank god – are accused of committing alleged terrorism offences by invading, vandalizing and burning down the Rivers State House of Assembly in the wake of the political crisis witnessed in Rivers State in October last year, and killing a Superintendent of Police, (SP) Bako Agbashim and five police informants in the Ahoada community in the state.
By Emma Ogbuehi
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, January 25, ordered that five men be remanded in Kuje prison, Abuja over the attack and destruction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Justice Bolaji Olajuwon said the five, arrested in Port-Harcourt, but brought to Abuja for prosecution, will remain in prison until February 2 when their bail applications would be considered.
The five are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thank god.
They were arraigned on a seven-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024 filed by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The defendants are accused of committing alleged terrorism offences by invading, vandalizing and burning down the Rivers State House of Assembly in the wake of the political crisis witnessed in Rivers State in October last year.
They are equally accused of killing a Superintendent of Police, (SP) Bako Agbashim and five police informants in the Ahoada community in the state.
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The police informants allegedly killed by the defendants are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu and Saturday Edi.
The defendants are also using various cult groups, identified as – Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland and Greenland – to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and disrupt commercial activities.
The five defendants pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them on Thursday.
The immediate past factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, was not named as defendant in the charge, but his name was mentioned in the body of the charge where he was said to be at large.
A lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), who announced an appearance for Ehie, said he was in court because his client’s name featured in most of the counts of the charge.
The judge did not entertain much contributions from Aladedoye because his client was not yet a defendant in the case.
The prosecuting lawyer, Audu Garba urged the court to remand the defendants in custody and to set a date for trial given their not guilty plea.
Defence lawyer, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN) for Ezebalike and Oladele sought the court’s permission to move his client’s bail application, noting that they have been in detention since their arrest last year.
Garba objected to the hearing of the bail application because he was just with it and needed time to study it and reply accordingly.
Justice Olajuwon, who upheld Garba’s objection, noted that the bail application was not ripe for hearing.
She adjourned till February 2 for a hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison.
In one of the counts of the charge, the defendants are alleged to have, on October 29, 2023, at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, conspired to commit acts of terrorism by the wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying, and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
Some other counts read: “That you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37 years, a businessman 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 the 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, businessman 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.”