Escapees from Imo jail ‘behind attack’ on police station

The Imo state police command says escapees from the Imo correctional centre are behind the recent attack on its station in Mbieri.

The police had on Friday repelled “a deadly attack” by suspected members of the proscribed Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Michael Abattam, the command’s spokesperson, in a statement on Saturday, said the police had gone after the suspects who were part of the inmates who escaped in April 2021.

He said “credible intelligence” revealed that one Solomon Umunakwu and Uzoma Umunakwe, natives of Mbieri, as well as Kelechi Onuoma and Kelvin Onuoma, led the attack on the police station.

“On storming the house of Solomon Umunakwu in Mbieri, the hoodlums on sighting the police operatives took to their heels abandoning their two operational vehicles used during the foiled attack, a Blue Colour Toyota Corolla LE with registration number ABC 695 HA and one Ash colour Acura MDX SUV vehicle with registration number RRT 149 AG respectively,” the statement reads.

“The police operatives also moved to the hideouts of other gang members in Atta in Njaba local government area of Imo state.

“After searching the hideouts, the following items were recovered; three locally made pistols, one cut to size gun, one Beretta pistol number NAF-P 3296, one dagger, four rounds of live cartridges, two police belts, one Eastern Security Network uniform, one black beret, one army camouflage scarf, two big sacks of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and one iron saw blade.”

According to Abattam, police operatives are currently on an “aggressive manhunt for the fleeing hoodlums”.