Fresh facts have emerged on how unidentified gunmen abducted a Bayelsa State High Court judge, Justice E.G. Umokoro at Ekeki area of Yenagoa, the state capital.
He was kidnapped in front of a popular eatery, known as Kilimanjaro at about 7pm after a struggle.
The judge, according to many legal practitioners in the state, was in company of two of his daughters to buy loaves of bread from the eatery before the gunmen struck.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the abducted judge was trailed to the eatery by the armed men, who were dressed in full police combat uniforms and wearing masks to cover their faces.
Two of the men were seen coming down from the Nissan vehicle and tapping on the car window of the judge, who was unaware of the danger as he on a call with his mobile phone.
One eyewitness said he overheard the men telling the judge that “our oga wants to see you”, but the judge answered, saying “are you aware am a judge? And tell your oga to come and see me here.”
The two armed men were seen walking away from the judge’s vehicle and then made some calls to an unknown person.
They were later seen in three knocking loudly on the judge’s car and forcefully opened the door and dragging him out of the car.
The judge, who seemed offended by their action, was seen struggling with the gunmen, while passersby watched in awe.
He was eventually forced into the white Nissan vehicle after much struggle.
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The entire incident lasted for over 50 minutes, the eyewitness recounted.
“Some thought they were police or men of the DSS. But they were not carrying that funny (Uzi) rifle like the DSS, neither was their uniform written police.
“But, they wore black on black with bullet proof jackets like the men of the police. But after the real police arrived, many people now knew those other ones are kidnappers,” he added.
Some staff of the eatery however told newsmen that, in the midst of the struggle, the kidnapped judge’s mobile phone and a pouch containing his identity cards, ATM cards and national ID cards fell, including two mobile phones belonging to the kidnappers.
Police sources at the Ekeki Division, also corroborated the claims, insisting that a passerby picked up the judge’s mobile phone and handed it over to the police.
Contacted on the development, the spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mohammed Musa, confirmed the development and said the command has started discreet investigation into the development.
