Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a serving judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, has been released 12 days after being abducted by masked gunmen in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The judge was kidnapped on 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, and authorities and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are yet to issue formal statements.
Justice Omukoro, speaking shortly after his release, described the experience as a harrowing ordeal and expressed gratitude to everyone involved in securing his freedom.
“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.
He praised the efforts of security agencies, the judiciary, and his loved ones, citing the “synergy” between the government, the Bar, and the Bench as a key factor in his release.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had demanded the judge’s release and raised concerns about the security of judicial officers.
The association’s Yenagoa Branch had disclosed that security agencies were tracking the abductors through “digital footprints,” but there had been no direct contact from the kidnappers.
The judge’s release has brought relief to the Bayelsa community, and authorities are yet to issue formal statements on the incident.
