Don’t hesitate to use your rifles to defend yourselves – Uzodinma tell Imo Police Officers

Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma has ordered police officers in the state to defend themselves with rifles against criminals.

Uzodinma made the remarks on Tuesday, when Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu paid a visit to the state to assess the harm caused by the attacks on the federal prison and the state police command headquarters.

In the early hours of Monday, gunmen stormed the two prisons, freeing over 1,500 inmates, according to Daily Times reporters.

In the attacks, which the police blamed on the Indigenous People of Biafra, some police vehicles were also destroyed (IPOB).

Uzodinma described the incidents as “an attack on the integrity of the government.”

Adding that “If you can’t attack them, you can at least use your rifles to defend yourselves. Any attack on police formation is an insult to us as a government. We must take charge, take control and ensure discipline.

“We must not condone attacks by criminals on government. Police must not be compromised so that the integrity of government will remain intact,”

“This unfortunate tragedy can only be condemned by every reasonable mind, the intention was to put fear into our people and make them vulnerable.”

The governor also said he has commissioned a detailed investigation into the attack “in a bid to finding out the perpetrators and masterminders of this ugly incident, luckily for us, no life was lost.”

“I can assure you that my government working with security agencies shall rise to the occasion to get to the end of the matter,” he added.