Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi, has revealed the reason why the gunmen were able to overpower men of the Imo State Police Command during the attack on Owerri Correctional Centre on Monday.
Dingyadi said the reason was because the gunmen “came with all the arsenals at their disposal” and “in large numbers”.
He stated this on Friday while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme.
The Police Affairs Minister confirmed that the DSS alerted the police before Monday attacks in Imo, adding that the police fought well but the gunmen overpowered the police because they “came prepared”.
Dingyadi said, “People are always pointing accusing fingers at the police. This report was not just sent to the police, it was sent to other security agencies and to the government as far as my understanding is concerned and then the police at that particular time did the best that they could but they were overpowered.
“Don’t forget that these people came prepared, they came with all the arsenals at their disposal and they came in large numbers and that is why they were able to overpower the police at the entrance of the police headquarters in Owerri.
“So, it is not just the police to be blamed, the police did their best and it was not only the police that was hit; the correctional centre in Owerri was also attacked. It is a collective responsibility. Security is the responsibility of everybody and we have a responsibility to ensure that we remain alert and focused on these issues 24 hours a day.”
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