THERE was pandemonium at the Imo State High Court, situated along Orlu Road, Owerri, yesterday morning, when unknown gunmen stormed the place and freed a suspected armed robbery and kidnap kingpin, one Chibueze, known as Vampire.

Ceoafrica gathered that the suspect and other prison inmates had been brought into the court premises for trial on kidnapping and other criminal charges before the incident took place.

Eyewitnesses said that shortly after Vampire, who had been in prison custody for about two years standing trial, was conveyed to the court in a Black Maria alongside about 50 other inmates, the bandits, about six of them, invaded the place with and unleashed mayhem on judges, lawyers and others within the premises.

The gunmen arrived the moment Vampire got down from the Black Maria heading for the courtroom. They exchanged gunshots with security operatives.

As the confusion lasted, it was gathered, the bandits managed to get hold of Vampire before escaping with him.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the state command of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Maduba James, confirmed that the suspect was currently at large.

He said more than six people were critically injured during the gun battle between the bandits and security operatives.

James, however, gave the assurance that the authorities were on top of the situation and working hard to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order in the state.

“We were in the office this morning when we got a distress call that some gunmen were in the court premises. We thought they were DSS officials because by then we were conveying over 50 inmates to the state High Court for trial. However, the gunmen attacked some of our men and the inmates. They were critically injured and have been taken to the hospital.

“Meanwhile, one of the inmates whom we know as Vampire is at large presently, but my controller and other security operatives in the state are on top of the situation”, James said.

It was learnt that in 2015, the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, alongside officials of the Department of State Service (DSS), paraded the suspect, said to be in his thirties, before journalists, in Owerri.