Hope Uzodimma, Imo governor, says the inmates freed by the unknown gunmen who attacked police command headquarters and a correctional service centre in Owerri, Imo state capital, had voluntarily returning back.
This is even as the governor said the gunmen also tried to invade the state government house on Monday but were not successful.
Uzodimma stated this during a state security council meeting he convened at the government house, Owerri following the attacks.
After the meeting, the governor said some of the 1844 inmates freed by the gunmen had started returning voluntarily while others had been rearrested.
He said;
“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 governor said.
“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 an enquiry panel had been set up to look into the incident with a view to finding out the circumstances surrounding the attack.
He said government and security agencies will get to the root of the matter to fish out the perpetrators.
Uzodimma assured residents of the state of their safety, assuring that security agencies will be more proactive to forestall a reoccurrence.
NAN reports that normalcy has returned to the state and that major roads leading to the correctional service and police headquarters in Owerri have been cordoned off.
