The federal government has filed terrorism charges against four individuals from Port Harcourt accused of invading, vandalizing, and setting fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly last year. The accused, believed to be supporters of Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers State, allegedly committed these acts during the political turmoil in Port Harcourt in October of the previous year. The named suspects include Chima Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, and Ochueja Thankgod.
Despite the inclusion of the former factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Edison Ehie, in the 7-count terrorism charges, he is reported to be at large, along with other suspects. The four individuals in custody, held by the anti-terrorism department of the police at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, are scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja today.
The charges against them, identified as FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, list the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, as the complainant. In addition to the alleged arson at the State House of Assembly, some of the accused are accused of killing Superintendent of Police (SP) Bako Agbashim and five police informants in the Ahoada community of the state. The police informants identified as Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu, and Saturday Edi were reportedly among the victims.
The charges also assert that the accused used various cult groups, including Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland, and Greenland, to create chaos among the state’s residents and disrupt commercial activities.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Simon Lough have been assigned to lead the prosecution team in the case before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The charges specifically point to the accused conspiring to commit acts of terrorism by willfully destroying public properties, invading, attacking, and burning the Rivers State House of Assembly on October 29, 2023, as per the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
The charges further specify that the accused, armed with dynamite, iron rods, lighters, and other offensive weapons, maliciously invaded, attacked, and set fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex, constituting offenses punishable under section 1 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The arraignment is scheduled to take place before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja.