Operatives of the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) of the Bayelsà State Police Command have arrested another key suspect in the kidnap of Ebiyerin Omukoro in 2025.
Omukoro, a judge in the Bayelsa State Judiciary, was kidnapped in the premises of a popular eatery in Yenagoa in the presence of his daughters.
The suspect, according to police sources, identified as 39-year-old Ogbonna-Otu Emizibo Dennis, popularly known as Ogbono, is an indigene of Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that intelligence officers had been carrying out surveillance around his residence for over five months till his return.
He was said to have been identified by Omukoro while being paraded by the police in Yenagoa.
The suspect claimed that a white Hilux in his possession was returned to the owner, a retired brigadier-general after he concluded a driving job, but a close family member disputed his claim.
The family member alleged that he was in possession of the white Hilux van at the time of the abduction last year.
BusinessDaySunday also gathered that investigations revealed that the suspect was the owner of the white Hilux the kidnap gang used in the abduction of the judge.
He was also identified as the owner of the house located along School Road, Edepie, in Yenagoa, which the gang had used as its base.
The kidnap gang is alleged to have used the base to plan the abduction of one Aladei Godsave, owner of the Ruth More Hotel.
The VCRU officers led by Chris Nwaogbo, also recovered a motorcycle owned by one of the kidnappers, Obrientele Ebiarede, a dismissed police sergeant, in the compound.
The motorcycle was allegedly was reportedly used to procure food and other items for their victims at their camp at Okarki bush, a boundary community between Rivers and Bayelsa states.
A police source attributed the successes recorded to the persistent support of the Olatunji Disu, the Inspector General of Police, and Iyamah Daniel, Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, for diligent investigation and policing.
It is believed that the state government could invoke Section 7 of the State Kidnapping and Allied Offences Law 2013, which prescribes temporary forfeiture of the suspect’s house pending the outcome of prosecution.
It would be recalled that Omukoro was kidnapped by masked gunmen in Yenagoa on June 21, 2025, and held for 12 days before being rescued unharmed on July 3, 2025.
When contacted, Musa Mohammed, Bayelsa Police spokesman, confirmed the arrest, saying “The suspect has been arrested.”
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