President Muhammadu Buhari has described Monday morning’s attack on the Owerri correctional centre and the Imo State Police Command headquarters as a “daring terrorist attack”.
The president stated this in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Recall that The Herald reported that gunmen freed more than 1,500 inmates at the Owerri Correctional Centre.
The attackers were said to have also set the Imo State Police Command headquarters ablaze and freed an unconfirmed number of suspects at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
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Reacting, President Buhari said that the “deadly insurgent attack that took place on the Police Command Headquarters and the Correctional Facility in Owerri, Imo State, on Monday” was an act of terrorism.
The statement read, “President Buhari praised 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.
“President Buhari then 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.
“He also urged members of the public 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.”