IPOB spokesman Emmanuel Powerful on Monday dismissed accusations of involvement in the Imo prison attack as lies .
Calls for a separate state of Biafra in the south are a sensitive subject in Nigeria after a unilateral declaration of independence in 1967 sparked a brutal 30-month civil war.
- Charred remains -
In Owerri, residents were fearful of more violence after the dawn assault.
Outside one of the buildings, charred remains of vehicles and fire-blackened walls showed the scale of the attack. Many are afraid that the escapees may return. while others are thinking that the security forces will come for a reprisal, said local journalist Damian Duruiheoma.
Tension gripped the city of Owerri, Imo State on Tuesday, a day after gunmen blasted their way into Nigeria Correctional Centre, freed more than 1,800 inmates, and then looted a police station, local residents said.
The town was calm but the mood was apprehensive, as residents said they worried about violence from escapees or being caught in an attack by the security forces.
“Many are afraid that the escapees may return… while others are thinking that the security forces will come for a reprisal,” said local journalist Damian Duruiheoma.
Security in the area was heavy, he said.
“The areas attacked have been cordoned off,” he said.
Fear in Nigerian town after mass jailbreak modernghana.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from modernghana.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Nigeria s police chief on Tuesday called for the Biafran separatist group to be destroyed to the last man after a dramatic attack on a prison in southeastern Nigeria at the weekend that saw more than 1,800 inmates escape.
Bur Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu made the comment hours before he was sacked while on a visit to the scene of the attack in the town of Owerri.
Usman Alkali Baba, who was the force s deputy chief will replace Adamu. The reason for the change in police inspector-general was not given.
Amadu ordered the security services to use their weapons against members of the Ipob (Indigenous People of Biafra) and destroy them to the last man.
THE STANDARD By
Reuters |
April 6th 2021 at 15:25:46 GMT +0300
The Nigerian Correctional Services facility that was attacked by gunmen, with large numbers of inmates set freed afterwards in Imo State, Nigeria April 5, 2021. [Reuters]
Tension gripped a town in southeastern Nigeria on Tuesday, a day after gunmen blasted their way into a prison, freed more than 1,800 inmates and then looted a police station, local inhabitants said.
The town of Owerri was calm but the mood was apprehensive, as residents said they worried about violence from escapees or being caught in an attack by the security forces. Many are afraid that the escapees may return. while others are thinking that the security forces will come for a reprisal, said local journalist Damian Duruiheoma.