The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Federal Government to overhaul the security architecture of Imo to stem the tide of continued attacks on residents and public facilities in the state.
Collins Opurozor, spokesperson of the PDP in Imo, made the call while addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Owerri on Friday.
Opurozor, who faulted the silence of security agencies in the state over recent attacks on residents, said an overhaul of the entire security architecture would help build confidence in the electorate ahead of the general elections.
He expressed worry that in spite of several alerts on security agencies by the party about attacks on its House of Representatives candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, no investigations had been carried out.
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He renewed the call for independent investigations into the attacks on Ugochinyere, officials of the party and other residents of the state.
“In the last one week, our party chairman in Ogbaku ward, Mbaitoli council area, Charles Oke, was shot by gunmen who laid ambush around his residence and opened fire on him upon his return in the evening.
“For the third time in less than two months, there was an armed attack, on February 7, at the residence of Ugochinyere.
“It becomes unacceptable that until this moment, no security agency in Imo has reacted to these attacks. It is in view of this that we demand the immediate redeployment of all heads of security agencies in the state.
“We also call on the Federal Government to establish an independent panel of inquiry to unravel the Imo killings and unearth the real identities of those behind the so-called unknown gunmen in the state,’’ he said.
He called on residents of the state not to be intimidated by the prevailing situation but to come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice in the elections.
When contacted, the police spokesperson in Imo, Henry Okoye, neither confirmed nor denied the claims by the PDP.
