e130167@instance-1:~$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Debian
Description:    Debian GNU/Linux 9.6 (stretch)
Release:        9.6
Codename:       stretch

octave:2> pkg install image-2.8.0.tar.gz
pkg: please install the Debian package "liboctave-dev" to get the mkoctfile command
error: called from
    __gripe_missing_component__ at line 53 column 3
    configure_make at line 44 column 7
    install at line 186 column 7
    pkg at line 437 column 9
octave:2>

e130167@instance-1:~$ sudo apt-get install liboctave-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 liboctave-dev : Depends: liboctave3v5 (= 4.0.3-3) but it is not going to be installed
                 Depends: octave (= 4.0.3-3) but 4.4.1-2~bpo9+1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

sudo apt-get install -t stretch-backports liboctave-dev