The eight suspects involved in the abduction of the Bayelsa High Court Judge, Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, have narrated their roles in the operation.
They were paraded by security agencies led by the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Francis Idu, and the state Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adedapo Amao, yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The gang included six males and two females.
A manhunt has been launched for the leader who is at large, The Nation has learnt.
The suspects are in custody of the DSS, which coordinated the rescue of the victim and arrest of the abductors.
One of the suspects, Justice Broderick, who spoke to reporters, said he is an indigene of Ozobo community in Delta State.
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He confessed he was part of the kidnap after a man he referred to as “General” informed him about it.
He said upon arrival in Yenagoa, they were given uniforms and vehicles for the operation and swung into action.
The suspect said Justice Omukoro was taken from the premises of an eatery at Ekeki area of Yenagoa and moved to a location in a neighbouring state.
He, however, claimed they had no actual target but stumbled on the Judge.
Broderick said their victim was moved to their camp and that when he told them he is Ijaw from Ekeremor Local Government Area, they decided to “treat him well.”
He also stated that their leader, whom he referred to as “General” insisted that Justice Umukoro be handcuffed, adding that being a fellow Ijaw man, they decided to treat him with care.
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.
“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.”
Another suspect, who identified himself as John, said he was contacted but did not join in the operation as he was unwell, stressing that he was in the camp when the victim was brought in.
Bayelsa Police boss, Francis Idu, said the arrests was a testimony to the security governance measures of Governor Diri, who he said always insisted that security agencies work together to ensure that the state was free of crime.
Idu said the DSS sent a special team from Abuja for the operation, which led to the arrest of the suspects.
Idu praised the governor for providing the logistics for the operation, saying the CCTV cameras mounted by the government in parts of the state were useful during the rescue and eventual arrest.
