Eight individuals arrested in connection with the abduction of Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro have confessed to their roles in the crime, revealing chilling details of the operation during a parade by security agencies in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The suspects, six men and two women were presented to the media on Thursday by the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and the State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adedapo Amao.
They are currently in the custody of the DSS, which coordinated the rescue and arrests.
The Governor, Douye Diri had earlier disclosed at a State Executive Council meeting that all the suspects involved in the June 21, 2025, abduction had been apprehended, except the alleged gang leader, who remains at large.
One of the suspects, Justice Brodrick, a native of Ozobo community in Delta State, admitted to participating in the operation.
According to him, the plan was set in motion after a call from a man he described as his “boss.”
Brodrick said they were given uniforms and a vehicle upon arrival in Yenagoa. The group, he explained, had no specific target and was on a random patrol when they spotted the judge at a restaurant in the Ekeki area of the city.
His words: “so, he called me on June 21 that I should come to Yenagoa. He also called John Uzi, the person that is beside me. And I called Kelvin Olu, my younger brother, to come with me to Bayelsa.
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“We mobilized 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.”
Brodrick claimed the group decided to treat the judge well after learning he was Ijaw from Ekeremor Local Government Area. He said he even tried to convince their leader, referred to as “the General,” to treat the victim humanely.
“We didn’t manhandle him. He told us he was Ijaw, so I appealed to our General not to put him in handcuffs,” he said.
Another suspect, who gave his name as John, admitted to being aware of the plan but said he did not take part in the actual abduction due to illness. He claimed he was at the camp when the victim was brought in.
Commissioner of Police Francis Idu praised the coordinated efforts of security agencies, particularly the DSS team deployed from Abuja, for successfully apprehending the suspects, including the two female accomplices.
He commended Governor Diri for his support, noting that the state’s investment in security infrastructure, particularly CCTV surveillance, played a critical role in both the rescue operation and arrests.
Idu warned criminal elements to steer clear of Bayelsa, stressing that with the suspects’ confessions and ongoing operations, the state is no longer a safe space for criminal activity.
