Suspects: How we kidnapped Bayelsa judge

Suspected kidnappers of Bayelsa State High Court Judge Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro have narrated how they committed the crime.

Eight suspects, including six males and two females, were paraded by the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, on Thursday, July 24, 2025.

The Director of Department of State Services (DSS), Adedapo Amao, in Yenagoa, was also present.

The suspects are currently in the custody of the DSS, which coordinated the rescue of the victim and arrest of the abductors.

One of the suspects, Justice Brodrick, who spoke to journalists during the parade, confessed that he was part of the kidnap operation after a man he referred to as his boss informed him about it.

The suspect disclosed that upon arrival in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, they were given uniforms and vehicles for the operation and that they immediately swung into action.

He said Justice Omukoro was taken from the premises of an eatery in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa and moved to a location in a neighbouring state.

Brodrick, however, claimed that they had no particular target but stumbled on the Judge.

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He said the judge was immediately moved to their camp, adding that when he told them that he was an Ijaw from Ekeremor Local Government, they decided to “treat him well.”

According to him, the man who they call “General” insisted that the victim should be kept in handcuffs but as a fellow Ijaw, be treated with care.

The suspect said: “So, 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, who identified himself simply as John, said he was contacted but did not join in the operation as he was not feeling well and that he was in the camp when the victim was brought in.

The Commissioner of Police stated that the arrest of the suspects was a testimony to the success of the security governance measures in the state.

The Star