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.
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.
