Panic gripped residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Saturday night following the abduction of a serving High Court Judge, Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.
The judge, who presides over Court 7 of the Bayelsa State High Court, was abducted at the Ekeki area of the city while in the company of his two daughters near the popular Kilimanjaro Eatery, adjacent to the bustling Ekeki Motor Park.
Multiple eyewitnesses confirmed to Vanguard that Justice Omukoro had stopped at the eatery to buy a loaf of bread when he was accosted by masked men in black combat gear.
According to a witness, two men stepped out of a white Hilux van and approached the judge’s Toyota Prado Jeep, where they tapped on the window, which was rolled down as he was on a phone call.
“I heard one of them say, ‘Our Oga wants to see you.’ But the judge replied, ‘Are you aware I’m a judge? Tell your Oga to come and see me here,” the eyewitness said.
Eyewitnesses said the men moved away momentarily and made calls before returning with reinforcements. Three armed men then returned, forcefully opened the vehicle’s door, and dragged the judge out.
“He tried to resist. There was a struggle, but nobody dared intervene. He was bundled into their van and whisked away,” the source recounted.
Shockingly, the assailants left behind two phones, one belonging to Justice Omukoro and the other suspected to belong to one of the kidnappers, both of which were reportedly handed over to the police.
A police source at the Ekeki Divisional Headquarters confirmed that a passerby had submitted the phones found at the scene of the abduction. The discovery is expected to aid ongoing investigations.
There was initial confusion among bystanders, with many mistaking the assailants for operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) or another security agency due to their black combat uniforms and bulletproof vests.
“It was only after the real police officers came that we knew something was wrong,” a resident told Vanguard under the condition of anonymity.
Justice Omukoro, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Bayelsa State, is known for moving around town without a police escort, especially during off-duty hours.
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