Suspects of Bayelsa Judge’s Kidnap Narrate How They Carried Out Operation

Suspects arrested in connection with the abduction of Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, have revealed chilling details of how they carried out the crime.

Eight individuals—six men and two women—were paraded on Thursday by security agencies in Yenagoa. The parade was led by the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Idu, and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adedapo Amao. The suspects are currently in the custody of the DSS, which coordinated both the rescue operation and the arrests.

Governor Douye Diri had earlier confirmed that all members of the kidnapping gang had been arrested, except the gang leader who is still at large.

One of the suspects, Justice Brodrick, told reporters he hails from Ozobo community in Delta State. He said he joined the operation after being contacted by someone he described as his boss.

“So, he called me on June 21 that I should come to Yenagoa. He also called John Uzi, the person beside me. And I called Kelvin Olu, my younger brother, to come with me to Bayelsa,” Brodrick explained.

“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.”

According to him, the judge was taken from the premises of an eatery in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa and transported to their hideout in a neighbouring state. Brodrick also claimed they only realized who he was after the abduction and decided to “treat him well” because he was Ijaw, from Ekeremor Local Government Area.

He added that while their “General” wanted the victim kept in handcuffs, he argued for humane treatment due to their shared ethnicity.

Another suspect, identified as John, said he didn’t join the actual kidnapping because he was unwell, but admitted being at the camp when the victim was brought in.

Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, praised the success of the joint security operation and credited Governor Diri’s leadership for improved coordination among agencies.

“The DSS sent a special team from Abuja for this operation, and they succeeded in capturing the suspects, including two female accomplices,” he said.

He commended the Bayelsa State Government for providing logistics and noted that CCTV cameras installed across the state were instrumental in both the rescue and arrests.

With confessions obtained and suspects in custody, Idu issued a warning:

“Bayelsa is no longer a haven for criminals.”