Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday said the slain kidnapper/armed robber, Henry Chibueze aka Vampire, threatened him and his family over the N5 million bounty placed on him. The governor, who expressed regret over the criminal’s escape then, had pledged a N5 million reward to anyone who offers useful information leading to the arrest of Vampire.

Reacting after the wanted criminal was gunned down by the police, he said in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, yesterday: “When his partners in crime took him away from the High Court a few weeks back, I knew it would not be too long before his ugly chapter would close.”

Rochas commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for dispatching the special squad that worked with the Imo Police Command that finally ended the ugly saga.

The governor also commended the Directorate of State Services (DSS) who first arrested Vampire in Owerri as the arrest raised the consciousness of security agencies and the public on the existence of the hardened criminal. He recalled that the declaration he made when he became governor in 2011, that no criminal would survive in the state was still valid and that was the reason men like Vampire were arrested in Owerri.

The sensational escape of Vampire, who was standing trial at the Owerri High Court since 2015 when he was arrested and paraded before newsmen by the DSS in Imo State, occurred on the premises of Owerri High Court on 27th January. The incident saw about 6 persons killed and many wounded, including Prisons Service personnel.

Residents of Owerri reacted negatively, and condemned the prisons officials and other security authorities in the state, stating many conspiracy theories as to how the breakout could have been possible.

Then, sources said after the attack that saw Vampire broken out by his gang, the Imo State Police Command carried out a raid at the Imo State Prison Command, where they recovered a good number of mobile phones which inmates allegedly were using.

A frontline politician in the state, Chief Okey Ebiri, had blamed the prison authorities, and he expressed dissatisfaction at the fact that the suspect has been in custody since 2015 after he made confessions that he killed many people.

Vampire had then infamously demanded that he be executed, stating that his “blood was still hot.” (Daily Trust)