An armed gang is reported to have stormed the High Court in Owerri, Imo State in South East Nigeria and rescued their member, Chibueze Henry, popularly known as Vampire, a notorious kidnap kingpin.
Daily Sun repots on Saturday that the gunmen laid a siege at the premises of the court unknown to the Prisons Officials who were conveying the suspect and other inmates to the court .
Immediately the alleged kidnapper alighted from the prison vehicle, his gang members who were already waiting opened fire on the people, including the prison armed squad, who were taken unawares and as the people ran helter Skelter to escape the wrath of the gang members.
Vampire was immediately whisked into a waiting Jeep and they fled the premises of the court .
During the daring rescue operation which last for ten minutes, a witness said one of the prisons officials was shot dead and several others were injured.
Also shot on the foot as well is one of the crown witness who had come to court to testify against Vampire.
Mr. Emeka Basil, who also witness the incident, said he saw when the jeep entered into the court premises but did not know that they came for that mission but that it was when the people in the jeep starting shooting that he knew some thing was wrong.
” I saw when the black jeep drove into the court premises this morning but as usual it is normal but it was when the vehicle conveying Vampire arrived the court that the men in the jeep who are heavily armed opened fire on the vehicle that I knew that some thing was wrong.
“Many people including prisons officials, who were running to escape being hit by the bullets and I had to run for my life too.”
The Public Relation Officer of the Imo State Prison Command Mr.James Madugba who later briefed the press said that nobody was killed during the attack on the prisons officials who were conveying Vampire and other inmates to court.
