A group of young men in Rivers State have called for justice after enduring six to eight months of unlawful detention and torture at the hands of security agencies.
the victims Chime Ezebalike, Kenneth Kpasa, Prince Oladele Lukman, and MacPherson Olumini told newsmen in port harcourt that they were arrested between December 2023 and January 2024, accused of involvement in the murder of Supol Bako Angbashim, an assassination attempt on Hon. Martins Amaewhule, and the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.
They vehemently deny any involvement in these crimes, claiming they were targeted for refusing to implicate Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government.
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They stressed that during their detention, they were subjected to physical assault, psychological torture, and bribery attempts, being offered money and trips abroad in exchange for falsely implicating Ehie.
The charges against the individuals escalated from three to seven, despite a lack of evidence, and were remanded to Kuje Correctional Facility for six months before the case was transferred to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt due to jurisdictional issues. Finally, in November 2024, the charges were dismissed, a silent admission of the grave injustice they suffered.
They believe that no innocent youth should endure such torment and are advocating for an end to the weaponization of the state’s security apparatus against innocent citizens.
