High Court complex, Orlu.
Gunmen on Saturday set fire to the Imo State High Court building in Orlu destroying a part of the section housing sensitive documents.
The affected complex is said to be housing both the High Court and a Magistrates’ Court and is located close to a security checkpoint and the police divisional headquarters in Orlu.
A staff of the judiciary, who asked not to be named told Daily Trust that all the files in the building were destroyed in the fire.
The Chairman of, the Nigerian Bar Association, Orlu Branch, Barnabas Munonye confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.
He said that the administrative secretary of the association called his attention to the development on Saturday morning.
Police Public Relations Officer for Imo state Command, CSP Mike Abattam also confirmed the incident, saying that the Command has opened an investigation into the incident.
The burning of the Orlu Court building is coming a few days after a similar arson attack on the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Owerri which the Imo state Police Command blamed on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
IPOB reaction
However, the IPOB in a swift reaction refuted the claim by the Imo state Police Command linking the group to the attacks on INEC facilities, describing it as "media propaganda and blackmail."
In a statement by IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful entitled "Nigeria Police should stop media propaganda and blackmail with their sponsored attacks on INEC," IPOB said, "We are not surprised because we knew that they never have truth to offer to the public, only falsehood and propaganda against IPOB.
"IPOB has no business or reason to burn any INEC office. The Nigerian government and its Police are behind those who burnt the INEC office in Owerri Imo State. If they are not sponsoring the attacks, how come they haven't done any public inquiry or extensive investigation on the attacks on INEC facilities, instead, they run to the media to shout that IPOB attacked the INEC office.
"We tell Nigeria and its Agencies to stop slinging mud because it is not sticking. WE ARE IPOB! Our hands are clean, and we are justified in our quest for a free Biafra Nation.
"The whole world must hear from IPOB. We never have any intention to attack the INEC office anywhere in Biafraland or have an interest in disturbing election campaigns in Nigeria or anywhere because we are not interested in the Nigeria selection process called an election. Our leader instructed IPOB never to interfere with Nigeria elections.
"Anyone in doubt should get clarifications from our legal teams and from others who have been visiting our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu in the DSS solitary confinement for one year and six months since he has been illegally detained.
INEC office, Owerri.
"Nigeria Police Command in Owerri knew that the criminals they claimed to have gunned down a few days ago during the attack of an INEC office were not IPOB volunteers or ESN operatives at all. Why then is Nigerian's compromised Police hell-bent on blackmailing IPOB with the same insecurity they are sponsoring in the Southeast?
"We challenge Nigeria Police to arraign the arrested arsonists in open court for questioning so that the world will know their sponsors. It has been in the habit of the Nigerian government to sponsor Fulani terrorists and other criminals to attack public infrastructures, especially INEC facilities in the East, to implicate IPOB and ESN operatives."
IPOB further said that the media blackmail and burning of INEC facilities are aimed at "deceiving the International community to see IPOB as a group obstructing democratic processes in Nigeria.
Secondly, it is a plan to rig the 2023 elections by disenfranchising a lot of Biafran voters against Peter Obi's political base, thereby making Biafran voters blame IPOB for Obi's failure when they rig him out."
"Nigerian Government and her Police should stop linking IPOB and ESN Operatives to their murderous activities because we are a NONVIOLENT freedom-seeking movement in all our activities both home and abroad.
Self- Determination is not a crime. No amount of blackmail and intimidation will stop IPOB from pursuing this divine mandate," IPOB said.
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