After nine days in prison custody, the former deputy governor of Imo State, Gerald Irona, has finally regained his freedom. Irona, who was on Thursday last week remanded in Owerri Custodian Centre after police arraigned him on a three-count charge bordering on treason, was freed on Friday. Spokesperson of the former deputy governor, Walter Duru, who confirmed his release to PUNCH, said that an Abuja Federal High Court after the Imo High Court failed to grant him bail, ordered that Irona be released on bail.
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CHIDIEBUBE OKEOMA examines the implications of Easter Monday’s jailbreak and other attacks in Imo State
The Easter Monday jailbreak at the Owerri Correctional Centre and attacks on the Imo State Police Command headquarters in Owerri and a military base in Ukwuorji on the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway have remained the most vicious onslaught on the state and its citizens since its creation in 1976.
Gunmen had attacked the correctional centre around 1am and freed 1,884 inmates. Before attacking the facility, which shares boundaries with the Government House and the police command headquarters, the attackers had sung songs at the Government House roundabout for over 30 minutes.