Suspected kidnappers of Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a Bayelsa High Court Judge, on Thursday confessed how they carried out the abduction. Eight suspects—six males and two females—were paraded by Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, alongside Adedapo Amao, Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Yenagoa.
The suspects are currently in DSS custody, which coordinated both the judge’s rescue and the arrests.
Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri had announced on Wednesday that all suspects involved in the kidnapping had been apprehended, though he noted the gang leader remained at large.
One of the suspects, Justice Brodrick, an indigene of Ozobo community in Delta State, confessed his involvement to journalists during the parade.
He stated that his “boss” informed him of the operation. Upon arriving in Yenagoa, they were provided with uniforms and vehicles and immediately proceeded with the abduction.
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Brodrick narrated that Justice Omukoro was seized from an eatery in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa and transported to a location in a neighboring state.
He claimed they had no specific target but stumbled upon the Judge.
When the victim identified himself as an Ijaw from Ekeremor Local Government, Brodrick said they decided to “treat him well,” though the man they called “General” insisted he remain handcuffed while still being handled with care.
Brodrick recounted the timeline: “He called me on June 21 that I should come to Yenagoa. He also called John Uzi, the person that is beside me. And I called Kelvin Olu, my younger brother, to come with me to Bayelsa. We mobilised the vehicle for the movement and uniforms were provided. We moved from our camp, and it was not a fixed target. We were just patrolling before we met the Judge at Kilimanjaro. So we approached him and kidnapped him from there to our camp.”
Another suspect, identified simply as John, stated he was contacted for the operation but did not participate due to illness, confirming he was at the camp when the judge was brought in.
Commissioner of Police Francis Idu hailed the arrests as a success for Governor Diri’s security governance measures, emphasizing the governor’s consistent push for inter-agency cooperation to combat crime in Bayelsa.
Idu credited a special DSS team from Abuja for the operation, which led to the arrests, including the two female accomplices.
He commended the governor for providing necessary logistics, highlighting the utility of government-mounted CCTV cameras in aiding the rescue and arrests.
Idu issued a stern warning to criminals, declaring that Bayelsa is no longer a safe haven for their activities.
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