Vampire had alighted from the Black Maria and instead of moving, he was deliberately playing heady with prison officials, refusing to move towards the court house. And it seemed that was the signal and the gunmen struck with massive firepower.”
The shooting on the court premises lasted for more than 10 minutes with Judges, lawyers, suspects, police orderlies and all other persons within the court premises scampering for safety. When the dust settled, five prison wardens were on the ground in the pool of their blood, scores of lawyers sustained various degrees of injuries with the court premises littered with wigs and gowns of fleeing lawyers.
Vampire and eight other suspects had vanished into thin air leaving the confused crowd of security men grasping for straws. With what transpired at the Owerri High Court, it is easy to concede that the planning of the attack was quite deft; firepower was superior; while execution and escape were carried out with professional precision.
Considering the circumstances of the escape, many residents were of the view that the security agencies in the state might have taken too many liber-ties with the kingpin to the point of approaching his detention with a careless and worrisome lack of seriousness. It would also be recalled that during a publicised interaction between Governor Rochas Okorocha, security agents and Vampire in 2015 when he was arrested; in reply to a question from Okorocha, the kingpin stressed that he did not want to be released and that it would be a bad idea to set him free under any guise.
He said, “I have killed many people and I am still rearing to go. My blood still dey hot.” In view of the terrifying track record of this crime lord and his unchallenged escape, many easily embraced the idea of a conspiracy theory.
They could not fathom why a criminal with such frightening track record should be conveyed to court with grossly inadequate security. Lawyers in the main observed that the court in question is located within the perimeter of the Imo Government House, next to the Deputy Governor’s Office, and right behind the official quarters of the Commander, 34 Brigade, Obinze, Owerri and the state commissioner of police.
Also disturbing was the complaint of a senior lawyer who disclosed that he called the Police Control room when the court was under attack but the officer who received the call boldly told the lawyer that they did not know the location of the Owerri High Court.
Whereas the court is right behind the official residence of the state commissioner of police. Beyond these, there are serious indications that Vampire was living large in prison and was coordinating kidnap operations from behind the bars.
The testimony of an official of the Owerri Prisons, Agim Chukwuma, 28, who was arrested for working for Vampire from inside prison and helping to organise series of kidnap operations from within the prison walls is a clear affirmation that Vampire was enjoying benefits only kings enjoy in detention. As such, his escape should have been expected.
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