49 out of the 58 inmates that escaped from the Imo State High Court premises on January 27, have been rearrested and returned to prison. This was disclosed by the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, during a visit to the Chief Judge of Imo state.
Mr Ahmed who described the incident as unfortunate, however stated that the service would ensure that the situation does not repeat itself.
The State Governor, Rochas Okorocha had last week, promised a reward of five million Naira to anyone with useful information on the whereabouts of Henry Chibueze, also known as ‘Vampire’.
He was among the 58 inmates who had escaped, and is said to be standing trial for heinous crimes that include kidnapping.
Eyewitness said the gunmen, over six of them, had found their way into the court premises shortly after the inmates were conveyed to court for hearing of various suits filed against them.
The gunmen opened fire on the security operatives and inmates at the court premises shooting sporadically into the air for over 10 minutes leaving several people wounded.
According to the eyewitness, the gunmen were able to whisk away Chibueze, whom they described as a “notorious criminal and kidnapper” who has been in prison since July 2015.
