Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has absolved the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of involvement in the recent attacks on police stations and a correctional facility in the state. Rather, he blames those he called aggrieved politicians.
The governor who spoke on Wednesday while featuring on “Politics Today”, a Channels Television programme, said the politicians’ objective was to destabilise the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
.“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.
“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 acts are brought to book,” the governor said.
Arguing that members of the proscribed IPOB are not behind the attack, he declared:
“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.”
The governor said his administration has trained over 4,000 youths on community policing who will work with vigilantes to support the efforts of security agencies to secure the state.
The erstwhile Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu had accused the IPOB of masterminding the attacks, an allegation the group has however denied.
