Armed men dressed in black have abducted a Bayelsa State High Court judge, Justice Omukoro, in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The judge, The Guild learnt, is the presiding judge of High Court 7 in the state.
The incident occurred around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in front of a popular eatery in the Ekeki area, along the Chief Melford Okilo Expressway. Eyewitnesses said the assailants, who arrived in a white Hilux van, forcefully seized the judge and whisked him away.
A video currently trending on social media shows the victim struggling with his abductors before being overpowered.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Musa Muhammad, said the command is aware of the abduction and has launched an intensive manhunt to apprehend the culprits.
“The command has deployed tactical teams and drones to trail and arrest the hoodlums,” Muhammad said.
Justice Omukoro, a respected figure in the Bayelsa State judiciary, was said to have just returned from a private engagement when the attack occurred.
A former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa branch, Justice Omukoro is known for presiding over several high-profile cases in the state.
In 2021, he sentenced a man to 10 years imprisonment for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Akede community, Sagbama Local Government Area.
He has also handled multiple election petition cases and other sensitive legal matters in the state.
As of press time, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the judge’s whereabouts remain unknown.
