Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma, has alleged that the attacks in the state on Easter Monday were sponsored by aggrieved politicians.
The governor said this Wednesday evening, April 7, while appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’.
On Monday, April 5, gunmen attacked the Owerri Correctional Prison and set inmates free. The gunmen also set fire to the Imo State Police Command headquarters in Owerri and also burnt vehicles parked at the command headquarters.
Members of the Eastern Security Network were accused of being the masterminds behind the attacks, but the group, led by Nnamdi Kanu, denied this.
Governor Hope Uzodinma has now said that “a group of aggrieved politicians” sponsored the attacks “to destabilise the government of APC”.
Uzodinma said: “Their (tactics is that they try to identify grievances of people in a particular area. If it is in Imo State and probably there are some IPOB people who are not happy, they hire hoodlums from outside Imo State, they bring them in pretending to be IPOB and they commit these crimes and they go away.
“So, it is not about IPOB. Yes, we agree, we have aggrieved IPOB members but I can tell you those who are doing this destruction, most of them were brought in from outside Imo State.
“What is important for Nigerians to know is the plot by a group of aggrieved politicians to destabilise the government of APC.
“I have done some thorough investigation and I have some credible lead as to those who are sponsoring these activities of these hoodlums.
“I don’t want to pre-empt the investigations of other security agencies but I can tell you we are working hard to ensure the sponsors of this dastardly acts must be brought to book.”
Meanwhile, Over 80 inmates of the Owerri Correctional center in Imo state have returned to the center.
Recall that armed men attacked the correctional center on Monday, March 5, and freed 1844 of the inmates.
During a visit to the center on Tuesday, April 6, the Minister of Interior Affairs, Rauf Aregbesola, promised that the Federal government will grant any returnee inmate amnesty.
In an interview with DailyTrust on Wednesday, April 7, the Public Relations Officer of the Centre, Mr. Joe Madugba, said over 80 inmates have returned between Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We have a total of 82 inmates right now. Remember that we have 36 that refused to escape and six that returned. Presently 40 others have joined them. They might have heeded the advice of the honourable minister to grant them amnesty from the crime of jailbreak.” he said
He said that the centre is still expecting more of the detainees to return.
