Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State: Says gunmen attempted to gain entrance into Government’s House

Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma has said gunmen who attacked Imo Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Service Centre in Owerri tried to gain entrance into Government House.

He however said the gunmen were unable to get access because they were unable to scale the entrance gate.

Uzodimma spoke after the State Security Council meeting at the Government House, Owerri on Monday, where he assessed the level of damages.

While describing the attack as ‘barbaric,’ Uzodinma said a detailed investigation would be carried out and the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

“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,” he said.

According to the governor, a detailed investigation would be carried out and the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

The governor, who had earlier visited the two facilities in the company of heads of security agencies in the state, said the attack was to instill fear and make the people more vulnerable.

He said government had set up an enquiry panel into the incident with a view to finding out the circumstances surrounding the attack.

He said that government and security agencies would definitely get to the root of the matter to fish out the perpetrators.

Uzodimma assured residents of the state of their safety noting that government and security agencies would be more proactive to forestall a recurrence.

He disclosed that more than 1,800 inmates were at the correctional service before they were freed by the gunmen adding that some of them 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.

However, normalcy has returned to the state while residents have been going about their normal businesses.

Major roads leading to the correctional service and Police headquarters in Owerri had been cordoned off and traffic diverted since the early hours of Monday.

It will be recalled that in less than two months five divisional police headquarters have been attacked at various locations in Imo by yet to be identified gunmen.