Alleged kidnappers have revealed how Bayelsa High Court judge Ebiyerin Omukoro’s kidnap was plotted and hatched.
The suspects, eight in all, including six men and two women, were paraded on Thursday by the police commissioner, Francis Idu. The SSS director in Yenagoa, Adedapo Amao, was also present.
The suspects are currently in the custody of the SSS, which coordinated their arrest and the rescue of the judge.
Governor Douye Diri had, during the state executive council meeting on Wednesday, disclosed that all the suspects involved in the kidnapping of the judge had been apprehended.
He, however, disclosed that the gang leader was still at large.
One of the suspects, Justice Brodrick, who spoke to journalists during the parade, stated that he is an indigene of the Ozobo community in Delta.
He stated that he was part of the kidnapping operation after a man he referred to as his boss informed him about it. Mr Brodrick said when he arrived in Yenagoa, they were given uniforms and vehicles for the kidnap operation.
The suspect stated that the judge was abducted on the premises of an eatery in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa and moved him out of Bayelsa to a neighboring state.
Mr Brodrick, however, claimed that they had no particular target but stumbled on the judge. The suspect said the judge was moved to a camp used by the gang.
According to the suspect, when the judge told them that he was an Ijaw from Ekeremor LGA, the gang decided to “treat him well”.
However, Mr Brodrick revealed that a gang leader, ‘General’, insisted that the judge should be handcuffed but, as a fellow Ijaw, be treated with care.
“So, he called me on June 21 to tell me that I should come to Yenagoa. He also called John Uzi, the person who is beside me. I called Kelvin Olu, my younger brother, to come with me to Bayelsa.
“We mobilised 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,” Mr Brodrick said.
Another suspect, John, said he was contacted but did not join in the operation as he was not feeling well, and that he was in the camp when the victim was brought in.
(NAN)
