PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News across the Niger Delta
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Fresh facts have emerged on how unidentified gunmen abducted a State High Court Judge, Justice E.G. Umokoro at Ekeki area of Yenagoa in the Bayelsa State capital.
He was kidnapped in front of popular eatery known as Kilimanjaro at about 7pm after a struggle.
The Judge, according to sources was in company of two of his daughters to buy bread from the eatery before the gunmen struck.
The judge who is a one time State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association usually drives himself around without his security details during off duty.
Sources close to Justice Umokoro, described him as an activist judge who has who in the past have also had a brush with men of the Bayelsa Police Command over some judicial decisions involving release of some notorious kidnappers on alleged technical grounds.
Eyewitnesses at the eatery at Ekeki Park, confirmed that the abducted judge was trailed to the eatery by armed men dressed in full police combatant regalia with mask covering their faces.
Two of the men were seen coming down from a Nissan Hilux vehicle and tapping on the glass of the judges’ car prompting him to roll down the glass as the judge was on call at the time.
An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said he overheard the men telling the Judge that “our Oga wants to see you”, but the Judge answered them that ” Are you aware I am a judge? And tell your Oga to come and see me here”
He said the two armed men were seen walking away from his vehicle and making some calls, adding that they were later seen in three knocking loudly on the judge’s car, forcefully opened the door and dragged him down.
The judge, who seems offended, was seen struggling with the gunmen, while passerby watched.
He was eventually forced into the white Nissan Hilux vehicle after much struggle. The incident lasted for about 50 minutes he said.
” Some thought they were police or men of the DSS. But they were not carrying that funny (uzzi) rifle like the DSS, neither was their uniform written police. But they wore black on black with bullet proof jacket like the men of the police. But after the real police arrived, many people now knew those other ones are kidnappers,” he stated.
Some staff of the eatery however told newsmen that, in midst of the struggle, the kidnapped Judge’s mobile phone and a pouch containing his identity cards, ATM cards and National ID cards fell and two mobile phones from some of the kidnappers also fell.
Police source at the Ekeki Divisional Headquarters, also corroborated the claims, insisting that a passerby picked up the Judge’s phone and handed it to the police.
Contacted on the development, the Spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mohammed Musa confirmed the development and said the command have stated discreet investigation into the development.
