Buhari  Condemns Imo Attacks,Asks Police  To Arrest  Fleeing Prisoners

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned in strong terms, the deadly insurgent attack that took place on the Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Facility in Owerri, Imo State, on Monday,

He described the act as terrorism and implored Nigerians to join him in the battle to stem violence in the country.

 He commended the initial response by security guards and security forces for preventing greater loss of life and the destruction of public property.

The President directed security and intelligence agencies in the state and the geo-political zone to fully mobilize and go after the terrorists, apprehend them and get them punished under the full weight of the law.

He also called for the best efforts to be made to rearrest fleeing prison detainees, many of whom are believed to be deadly criminals.

The President ,who spoke through t mm his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, was quoted to have appealed to members of the public to assist the law enforcement agencies with any relevant information that could lead to the apprehension of these criminals who perpetrated this despicable act.

“Members of the public have to be vigilant as all of us have a stake in preserving our way of life from disruption by terrorists and anarchists while the Federal Government will use every available tool at its disposal to confront and terminate this bare-faced anarchy, “Buhari noted.

Meanwhile,the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has blamed members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra  (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) over the Monday attack on security formations in Imo state.

The IGP ,who ordered the immediate deployment of additional units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other Police Tactical Squads to Imo State said  the move was necessary  to strengthen security in the State and prevent further attacks on security formations and any other critical national infrastructure there.

He added:”Preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers, who came in their numbers with sophisticated weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs), AK49 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), are members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN).”

“The attempt by the attackers to gain access to the Police armoury at the headquarters was said to have been totally and appropriately resisted by Police operatives on duty who repelled them and prevented them from breaking-in and looting the armoury.