The Imo State government has accused Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of the state of being behind the attacks on a correctional facility and the state police command earlier this week.
Unknown gunmen stormed the two facilities, freed detainees and set the premises ablaze. Two security vans packed at the entrance of the government house was also burnt down.
While the federal government hastily accused Eastern Security Network (ESN) of wrecking the havoc, the state government differed, accusing opposition politicians.
One of such politicians has been named in a statement issued by the state commissioner for information, Declan Emelumba on Friday. The Hope Uzodinma-led administration accused Senator Rochas Okorocha of instigating the violence.
The accusation came hours after Mr Okorocha proffered to assist the government after advising it to apply wisdom in dealing with the situation.
Emelumba said the aim of the attack was to force the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency in Imo.
He said the government was also in possession of information on how a Special Adviser to the former governor procured the thugs that invaded Owerri that Monday morning.
According to him, the fact that Okorocha sponsored some Northern youths who called for the declaration of a state of emergency in Imo state, barely hours after the attacks, made him a culprit.
He alleged that the former governor wants to get back at Governor Hope Uzodinma for insisting on the implementation of the White Paper that indicted him for looting the state and grabbing people’s lands.
“Recall that the man had gone to court to stop the commission from sitting. When that failed, he approached Governor Uzodinma to disband the panels,” the commissioner said. “When that failed, he resorted to violence to repossess property government had sealed. That is the motive for the attacks.”
Displaying a purported copy of a press statement by the Northern youths where they castigated Uzodinma but praised Okorocha, Emelumba said it was not rocket science for people to know the person behind the attacks.
He added that it was not a coincidence that the former governor had not condemned the attacks.
