The Bayelsa State Government, through the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, has concluded arrangements to arraign a key suspect in the June 2025 abduction of Bayelsa State High Court Judge, Justice E.G. Omukoro.
The suspect, Ogbonna-Otu Emizibo Dennis, 39, popularly known as Ogbono and an indigene of Ekeremor Local Government Area, is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, before High Court 4 in Yenagoa.
Judicial sources told our correspondent that Dennis will face a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, kidnapping, conspiracy to cause grievous harm, and attempted murder.
The case, marked BYHC/YHC/CR/44/2026, will be prosecuted by the Bayelsa State Ministry of Justice, with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Peretimi Judith Peterside, Esq., leading the prosecution team.
Police sources disclosed that operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), led by CSP Chris Nwaogbo, mounted surveillance around the suspect’s residence for more than five months before arresting him upon his return.
According to the sources, Justice Omukoro identified Dennis during an identification parade as one of the suspects connected with his abduction. Investigators also alleged that the suspect provided the white Toyota Hilux vehicle used by the kidnappers.
During interrogation, Dennis reportedly claimed that the Hilux had been returned to its owner, a retired Brigadier General, after he completed a driving assignment. However, investigators said a close family member contradicted the claim, alleging that the suspect was still in possession of the vehicle at the time of the abduction.
Police investigations further alleged that Dennis owned a house along School Road in Edepie, Yenagoa, which the kidnapping syndicate allegedly used as a planning base for the abduction of Justice Omukoro and hotel owner Aladei Godsave of Ruthmore Hotel.
Investigators also recovered a motorcycle from the suspect’s compound, which they alleged belonged to a dismissed police sergeant, Obrientele Ebiarede, who has been declared wanted. The motorcycle was reportedly used to transport food and other supplies to victims held at the kidnappers’ camp in Okaki bush along the Bayelsa-Rivers boundary.
Sources in the Ministry of Justice further disclosed that the police investigation team recommended that the state government invoke Section 7 of the Bayelsa State Kidnapping and Allied Offences Law, 2013, to seek the temporary forfeiture of the suspect’s house pending the determination of the criminal case.
Some legal practitioners in the state commended the Bayelsa State Police Command, led by Commissioner of Police CP Iyamah Daniel Edebor, and the VCRU for what they described as a diligent investigation that led to the suspect’s arrest and prosecution.
Justice Omukoro was abducted by masked gunmen in Yenagoa on June 21, 2025, after his vehicle was reportedly intercepted by a white Toyota Hilux. He spent 12 days in captivity before regaining his freedom on July 3, 2025.
Several suspects were arrested during the police investigation, particularly in Ekeremor Local Government Area. Investigators alleged that some of the suspects confessed they stumbled upon the judge rather than specifically targeting him, although they held him captive for nearly two weeks.
The arraignment marks a significant step in the prosecution of those accused of involvement in one of Bayelsa State’s most high-profile kidnapping cases in recent years.
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