Police in southern Nigeria have launched a manhunt for armed men who abducted Justice E.J. Umokoro of the Bayelsa State High Court in a bold attack outside a fast-food outlet in Yenagoa.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, police spokesperson DSP Musa Mohammed stated that the judge was seized on Saturday evening in the busy Ekeki district while waiting in his car.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants fired gunshots into the air to cause panic before dragging the judge from his car and bundling him into a Toyota Hilux parked nearby.
Justice Umokoro was reportedly waiting for his daughter, who had stepped into the restaurant to buy food, when the gunmen struck.
In response, the Bayelsa State Police Command has mobilised tactical units and deployed aerial surveillance to locate the judge and apprehend his abductors.
The motive behind the abduction remains unclear, and police say efforts are ongoing to secure the judge’s safe release.
