The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu has asked officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) not to hesitate in defending themselves by using firearms.

IGP Adamu stated this on Tuesday when he visited Imo state for an on-the-spot assessment after the attack on the command headquarters by gunmen on Monday.

The gunmen also attacked the Nigerian Correctional Services freeing an unspecified number of prison inmates.

According to Channels Television report, the IGP while briefing men and officers of the command after his tour on the facility appealed to members of the public to provide security operatives with any useful information about the whereabouts of the fleeing inmates.

Adamu also charged the officers not to give up on the fight against banditry, stating that the fight was non-negotiable.

He told the men and officers of the command not to hesitate to use their firearms to defend themselves from any attack by members of IPOB and ESN.

In a series of tweets earlier on Monday, the IGP condemned the attack and blamed it on members of IPOB and ESN.

He said that “preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers, who came in their numbers with sophisticated weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs), AK49 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), were members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The IGP ordered the immediate deployment of additional units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other Police Tactical Squads to Imo State to strengthen security in the State and prevent further attacks on security formations or any other critical national infrastructure in the State.

The IGP who advised the officers to synergise with other security agencies, said more tactical personnel had already been deployed to the state to further curtail banditry.

“Bandits will never succeed, never spare them. Deal with them ruthlessly. Unleash your full arsenal on them. The law is behind you.