Gunmen stormed Owerri High Court; killed 2,

gunmen stormed the premises of Owerri High Court
 in Imo State on Friday, shooting at prison officials
 and rescuing their mentor, Chinese Henry, a man 
simply identified as Vampire who is a Notorious 
serial killer and armed robbery suspect.

Two people were feared dead while many were injured.

 Not fewer than 30 suspected criminals brought to the 
court for trial escaped.

 The operation left many bewildered. Owerri is tensed.

An IT student told ERIC GOSSIP on Saturday that the 
rampaging hoodlums gained entrance into the
 premises, in a Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, shot at 
the armed prison officials, as soon as the
suspects were ready to be moved into their respective
courtrooms, where their cases were scheduled 
for hearing.

A lawyer, who was at the scene of operation, said
 that the gangsters were fully prepared for the 
onslaught.

“The gangsters were fully prepared for the rescue mission.

Their gunshots hit an armed prison personnel and one 
of the suspects”, the lawyer stated.

the lawyer said that there was total confusion in the
 premises, as the assailants fired sporadically from virtually
all corners.

“People scampered into safety. Some of the accused 
persons equally ran away for their life. 

I ran into the toilet room in the Bar Centre”, the lawyer said.

“The attack virtually brought activities in the magistrate 
and high courts to an abrupt end. The armed men 
were obviously interested in rescuing one of their own”, 
the litigant said.

Continuing, the man said: “The pathetic thing was that 
the armoured vehicle, which was stationed at the gate
 into the court remained silent and unmoved throughout 
the operation”.

A staff of the Judiciary, who also spoke on strict 
anonymity, lamented that the hoodlums gained entrance
 into the premises and operated successfully without inhibition.

“There is no way I can properly explain the commando
-like incident to the outside world. The sound of their 
guns and their operational finesse, goes to prove that 
they were not a matture in the game”, the staff recalled
 with grief.

Meanwhile, some of the suspects, who felt that
 they had good cases, simply ended their search 
for safety in nearby Government House and were 
later handed over to prison officials.


The Prison Command reacts

When contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. 
Taiwo Lakanu, confirmed the incident but quickly added
 that it was the headache of the State Prison Command.

He expressed worry at the way the prisons allowed the
dreaded criminals, including Vampire to escape the arms
 of the law.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the Imo State 
Command of the Nigerian Prison Service, NPS, Mr. 
James Maduba, equally confirmed the well coordinated attack, affirming that the Command received a call in the morning that some armed men were seen in the High 
Court premises.

“We thought they were operatives of the Directorate of 
State Security, DSS, as we were conveying over 50 inmates
 to the court. The gunmen attacked some of our men and some of the inmates”, Maduba said.

The PRO also confirmed that the critically wounded 
officials and inmates have been moved to hospital for treatment. “My Comptroller and other security chiefs in the state are on top of the situation”, Maduba assured.


Tension in the community

The escape of Vampire, who had terrorized residents 
of South East and South Southern parts of the country 
for a long time, has thrown entire Nigeria security 
community into disarray.

the gunmen shot indiscriminately moments officials 
of the Nigeria Prison Service, brought Vampire, who 
was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Security Service, DSS, in July 2015, for attempting to 
kidnap some Judges attached  to the Imo State Electoral Tribunal, and other suspects  to the Owerri High Court. 
.
A police source at the force headquarters Abuja, who 
spoke with media on the condition of  anonymity,
 disclosed that police command across the
 country has been placed on red alert following Vampire’s escape. The source explained that Vampire was 
notorious for killing his victims after collecting ransom.


Vampire’scriminal records

On February 16, 2013, Vampire stormed the home of
 his girlfriend, Sandra Ijedinma, at Igando area of Lagos 
State, with an AK47 assault rifle and opened fire on 
everyone present in the apartment, killing his girlfriend, 
her elder sister, Praise Ozor and her two children. Not satisfied, Henry proceeded to a nearby street where one 
of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman and three of her children, before fleeing.

But while the search for him went cold in Lagos, Henry, 
was said to have regrouped with his gang in Imo State
 and they coordinated several kidnappings in the South
 East and South South, where he kidnapped over 200 
persons, killing most of his victims, including the wife
 of a royal father in Imo State and an official of the Imo
 State Environmental Transformative Commission 
which yielded him N50million ransom.

However, luck ran out on him, when he attempted to
 kidnap the tribunal Judges, handling Election Petition
 in Imo State, at their lodge, in Disney Hotels, along 
Onitsha -Owerri Road.

Operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, 
acting On a tip-off swooped on him, but he managed to escape with bullet wounds which he had gone to treat
 in the house of his elder brother’s wife, in Ohafia, 
Abia State, where men of the secret police eventually apprehended him.

While in prison in February 2016, Vampire was said to 
have converted a servicing official of the Nigeria Prisons Service, in Owerri Prison, where he is been detained on awaiting trial and formed a new kidnap gang that could
 help him raise money for his bail. The prison official
 identified as Chukwuma Agim,assembled a six-man 
gang headed by one Chiboy also known as Eze Ekudele
 and they carried out several operations in Imo State.

In one of their operations, they abducted a middle-
aged woman and got a ransom of N5million. After that operation, operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), headed by ACP, Abba Kyari, rounded up five members of the gang, 
including the prison official in various parts of Imo State.

The smashing of the new gang was expected to put an 
end to Vampire’s activities but his escape yesterday
 has dashed the hope of the security communities 
within the country, atleast for now. Security sources
 disclosed that the indiscriminate use of cell phones 
within prisons across the country was a major factor
 aiding activities of kidnappers within the country.