The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday said it has no hand in the attacks on the Owerri Correctional Centre and the headquarters of the Imo State Police Command by gunmen in the early hours of Monday.
NaijaNewsNow reports that gunmen attacked the Owerri Correctional Centre, setting free more than 1500 inmates, while the police headquarters was razed, with almost all the vehicles in the premises burnt.
The group made the denial in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, saying that the attacks were not carried out by operatives of Eastern Security Network (ESN).
He said: “The attention of IPOB has been drawn again to the fallacious and fabricated news that IPOB and ESN are involved in the attack of prison and police headquarters in Owerri, Imo State.
“IPOB and ESN are known groups not unknown gunmen. ESN is in the bush chasing Fulani terrorists, why linking IPOB and ESN to this attack. IPOB and ESN were not involved in the attack in Owerri, Imo State and the recent attack on Onitsha Owerri road at Ukwuorji junction. It is not our mandate to attack security personnel or prison facilities.
“The Nigeria Government and her compromised media outfits should stop linking IPOB and ESN to the multiple attacks going on in Nigeria now. IPOB was formed on principle of peace and we are still in it. Unknown gunmen is a different people which we don’t know and they not IPOB or ESN security outfit.”
