Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma has revealed that gunmen who attacked some facilities in the state also attempted to invade the government house.
He noted that they shot sporadically during the attempt to overrun the Imo State government house but were unsuccessful as they were repelled by security operatives.
Uzodinma made the disclosure at the end of an emergency security meeting on Monday held with heads of security agencies in the state after the Easter Monday attacks in Imo State.
It will be recalled that Naija News earlier reported that a correctional facility (prison) and Police Command Headquarters in Owerri in Imo State Capital were set on fire by unidentified attackers in an overnight operation on Monday, April 5.
The hoodlums further freed the suspects in almost all the cells at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the command, burning almost all the vehicles parked at the command headquarters.
The development prompted Governor Uzodinma to cut short his Easter break and convene an emergency security meeting on recent developments in the state.
After the meeting, the Governor confirmed that some of the 1844 inmates freed by the gunmen had started returning voluntarily while others had been rearrested.
“It has been an eventful day today being Easter Monday in Imo as yet to be ascertained gunmen attacked the correctional service centre, setting some facilities ablaze and releasing some inmates.”
“The gunmen were at the police headquarters where they destroyed 38 vehicles and also set the facilities ablaze.
“Efforts by the gunmen to penetrate into the Imo State Government House were not successful as they ended up shooting sporadically at the entrance gate,” the Governor said.
He added that security agents have been given marching orders to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu on Monday declared that members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) carried out the attack in Imo State.
He said in a statement on Monday that ESN, which is the security arm of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was responsible for the attack on the Imo State Police Command headquarters and the Owerri Correctional Prison.
The Police boss’s statement comes after IPOB had initially denied media reports that it was responsible for the attack on Imo Police Headquarters and Correctional Centre.