Unknown Gunmen Abduct Bayelsa Judge

A serving judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, Justice E.G. Umokoro, has been abducted by unknown gunmen in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa, the State capital city, on Saturday evening

The incident occurred around 7:00pm along the busy Chief Melford Okilo Expressway, directly in front of a popular eatery.

Justice Umokoro, who currently presides over High Court 7 in the state, was accosted by the masked assailants dressed in black attires.

Eyewitnesses, who secretly recorded the scene and shared it on social media, filmed the moment when the attackers opened fire at the judge but missed their target.

The gunmen then blocked his path with an unmarked white Hilux van, forcibly dragged him from his black Toyota Prado SUV, and whisked him away.

Footage from the scene, also showed the judge resisting his captors before being forced into the their getaway vehicle.

The gunmen, however, did not steal the Toyota Prado SUV the judge was driving, raising questions about the motive behind the abduction.

The Bayelsa State Police Command, on Sunday, confirmed the abduction.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, noted that, “Umokoro, a judge at Bayelsa State High Court was on Saturday evening abducted from his car at a fast food outlet at Ekeki area of Yenagoa.

“The command has deployed tactical teams and drones to trail and arrest the hoodlums,” he said.