The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the burning of the house of the governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma at Omuma in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued by the command and endorsed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Orlando Ikeokwu Godson said that the hoodlums attacked the governor’s house by throwing in petrol bomb as a result of which two cars were burnt.
He said that the hoodlums were successfully repelled, and none of the building was set ablaze.
According to him one unarmed personnel of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, was killed in the process, while a Police Sergent and another NSCDC personnel in their private vehicles at Mgbidi junction along Owerri-Onitsha express high way were killed when the attackers were escaping.
An eye witnessed told Nigerian Tribune that the attackers stormed the place with their vehicles in their numbers dressed in black and black attire. The two vehicles, among which was a coaster bus, packed beside the gate and another car inside the compound were set on fire.
The eye witness equally said that the situation had resulted in the blockage of Owerri Onitsha express highway and other adjoining roads by security personnel drafted to the area.
However, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba, has described the unfortunate incident as a politically motivated one.
In his statement issued on Saturday in Owerri, the commissioner said that gallant security operatives repelled an attack on the Omuma country home of the governor.
He explained that “at about 9 am today, Saturday, April 24th, a group of hoodlums numbering about 15 driving in a motorcade of three vehicles accompanied by a tipper loaded with used tyres, stormed the country home of the governor in Omuma, Oru East LGA and attempted to burn down the house”.
He denied the setting on fire of the governor’s house, disclosing that vigilant security operatives attached to the house successfully repelled the attack and consequently minimised the damage they had planned to unleash.
He added that during the crossfire that ensued, a few casualties were, however, recorded.
According to him, the government had directed the relevant security agencies to expedite investigation on the incident and promptly apprehend the sponsors and their agents and bring them to justice.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…Police confirm attack Police confirm attack
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…Police confirm attack Police confirm attack