Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a sitting judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, has been released 12 days after being abducted by masked gunmen in Yenagoa, the state capital.
He was kidnapped on the evening of Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Kilimanjaro Eatery, opposite Ekeki Park, shortly after returning from a trip to Warri, Delta State.
His release was confirmed on Thursday, although official statements from authorities and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are still awaited.
Speaking after regaining his freedom, Justice Omukoro described the incident as a traumatic experience and expressed deep appreciation to all who played a role in securing his release.
“I was beginning to give up. I felt like this nightmare was refusing to come to an end. I still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I had been abducted, kidnapped, kept in the jungle by hoodlums masquerading as security men. But we thank God… God was always there for me,” he said.
The judge praised the efforts of the security agencies, the judiciary, and his loved ones, adding that the “synergy” between the government, the Bar, and the Bench made the day of his release “unforgettable.”
Days before his release, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa Branch, disclosed that security agencies had made progress in tracking the abductors of Justice Omukoro through “digital footprints.”
However, there had been no direct contact from the kidnappers throughout the period.
The judge was taken by masked gunmen at Kilimanjaro Eatery in Yenagoa, not far from a nearby police station. Eyewitnesses reportedly mistook the incident for a security operation.
In response, the NBA declared a court boycott across Bayelsa State, describing the abduction as “an attack on the judiciary.” The association also raised concerns about the security of judicial officers and urged authorities to act swiftly.