Senator Rochas Okorocha(Imo West) has slammed Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma for what he described as politicisation of Monday’s attacks on Imo Police Headquarters and Correctional Centre.
Uzodimma had alleged some aggrieved sponsored the attacks where over 1,800 inmates were freed with the Police Headquarters razed.
But Okorocha, during a condolence visit to the family of late Mrs. Felicia Kanen Biskanga in Kuru, expressed disgust over the pronouncement.
He told reporters the Governor should face the challenges of leadership by applying wisdom instead of apportioning blames.
He explained despite the challenges of IPOB and other agitators during his tenure as Governor, he was able to keep the State peaceful because he consulted widely with relevant stakeholders.
The Senator emphasised except justice is allowed and poverty stamped out, the workload on the military and the Police Force would yield little or no results.
According to him: “Even IPOB seemed to have been very strong during my own time, they were ready to engage government but we applied wisdom in the sense that we talked with the traditional rulers, the youth leaders and made them to see reasons.
“That is the way to go, engaging them with issues but this idea of bringing in Air Force, army as a first measure, whoever is saying politicians are involved is trying to politicise the whole thing.
“I don’t think that any sane politician will go and ask youths to shoot at the Police headquarters and all that.”
He added: “My message to him is that he should face the challenge of leadership and consultation at this time is very important because if the governor consulted me and said how did you handle IPOB during your time that there was peace in Imo State, how did you handle the issue of kidnapping, how did you handle the issue of agitators? I would have told him.
“We are overloading the military and the police in trying to help the situation when we have not tackled the issues of injustice in this country and the issues of poverty.
“As long as these continue in the form and shape it is going on, and as long as young men wake up in the morning and there is no job and poverty ravaging the system, there is little or nothing the Armed Forces can do because it is a growing thing. The young men are coming out of schools, they are not getting jobs, we must address that.”
