Hope Uzodimma, Imo State governor, has claimed that aggrieved politicians who are against the All Progressives Congress (APC) government are behind the attacks on the state.
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Unknown gunmen, in the early hours of Monday, attacked Imo State police command headquarters and a correctional facility in Owerri, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.
Uzodinma spoke on Wednesday while featuring on Channels Television programme, Politics Today.
“What happened in Imo state last Monday is unbelievable. A group of hoodlums, of course sponsored by some known politicians in Imo state, decided to destroy public infrastructure and government facilities — and attacked a correctional centre facility and also attacked a police state headquarters”, he said.
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“But what is important to take home is for Nigerians to know of the plot by a group of aggrieved politicians to destablise the government of APC. I have done some thorough investigation and I have a credible lead as to those who are sponsoring these activities of these hoodlums.
“We are working hard to ensure that the sponsors of these dastardly act must be brought to book.”
The governor said members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), may not be responsible for the attacks.
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The police had earlier said the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an outfit of IPOB, was responsible for the violence in the state.
However, Uzodimma said hoodlums were hired from outside Imo, noting that they only pretended to be IPOB members.
“They(politicians) try to identify grievances of people in a particular area. They hire hoodlums from outside Imo state. They bring them in pretending to be IPOB and they commit this crime and they go away.
“It is not about IPOB. Yes, we agree, we have aggrieved IPOB members. But I can tell you, those who are doing these destructions, most of them were brought from outside Imo state,” he also said.
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The governor disclosed that his administration has trained over 4000 youths on community policing.
He said they will work with vigilantes to support the efforts of security agencies to secure the state.
