TheCable

Hope Uzodimma, Imo governor, says the gunmen who attacked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo on April 14 have been arrested.

The incident happened in Ihitte Uboma LGA of the state.

One INEC official was killed, while two others were declared missing following the attack.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, Uzodimma said the INEC officials were not the initial target.

He said the initial plan of the gunmen was to attack the correctional facility in Okigwe, but the plan was thwarted as a result of intelligence gathered.

“The incident that happened that involved INEC staff, regrettably, INEC was not the target,” he said.

“We had the intel that the correctional centre in Okigwe was to be attacked by bandits.

“We recorded their conversation and fortified the correctional centre for safety. And true to it, the bandits, approaching Okigwe, saw how fortified the place is, tried to escape through Ihitte Uboma, and ran into INEC staff when they were doing continuous voter registration.

“It was out of that anger and frustration that they attacked them.

“You must have heard that two of the bandits have been arrested and are helping the Nigerian police and Imo state government to do a very thorough investigation. Until that is done, I will not say much on that.”

The governor also advised against playing politics with the issue of insecurity in the country.

“We should be able to ask questions, not only as media practitioners, but as Nigerian citizens. I just want to use this medium to call on Nigerian politicians to play politics without bitterness and stop letting blood here and there in the name of looking for power,” he said.

“I am no longer in doubt as to who are the sponsors of banditry in Nigeria. Those who want to make Nigeria ungovernable cannot be the people governing Nigeria currently.”