THE Imo State Police Command said it had commenced investigations into viral videos of gunmen walking freely in the state.
A spokesperson for the Imo Police command Bala Elkana told The ICIR on Wednesday that investigations had commenced into identifying the persons in the videos.
Viral videos surfaced on social media showing some men in black uniforms with guns parading the streets and shooting.
https://twitter.com/TundeEddnut/status/1397218373910638595?s=20
— Imo Socials (@imosocials) May 25, 2021
Elkana said the videos would help the police to identify the persons and take appropriate actions.
On the violence that broke out on Tuesday in Orji Divisional Police Station, Elkana explained that hoodlums attacked the facility to ensure that police activity did not return, likening it to destruction that happened during the #ENDSARS protest.
The facility in question was destroyed during the #ENDSARS protest in October 2020, the spokesperson said, noting that it was being reconstructed before it was again disrupted by hoodlums on Tuesday.
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“Orji Division was destroyed during the #ENDSARS protest, then we have someone who volunteered to repair it, then workers were mobilised to the site. These hoodlums came and said no, ‘work cannot continue and that police station must not return.”
“These hoodlums have enjoyed some free movement, harassing, stealing and looting, so they don’t want the police to return and stop them, that is the reality,” Elkana said. He noted that the police had sent reinforcement to the site to ensure that renovation of the station continued.
According to a video seen by The ICIR, a voice said the gunmen were challenging the police and the Army to confront them in a gun battle.
In southeastern states, most especially Imo, there have been several attacks on police personnel and police stations, including the sI’mtate police headquarters and the Nigeria correctional facility in the state.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94