By IIfeanyi Ejiofor (Esq)

Our collective descent into lawlessness has reached a disgraceful and terrifying new low.

On Saturday, around 7:30PM, Hon. Justice E.G. Umokoro of the Bayelsa State High Court, Yenagoa, was abducted at gunpoint in front of Kilimanjaro Eateries, along the Ekeki axis of the state capital.

Pause and let that sink in: a sitting High Court Judge – a custodian of justice and a symbol of the rule of law – was brazenly snatched from the street like a petty target by gun-wielding criminals dressed in camouflage. The very uniform meant to represent authority and security has now become a cover for terror.

This is no ordinary crime. It is a direct, blasphemous assault on the judiciary – one of the last fragile pillars still holding up our battered republic. Only a few months ago, legal practitioners were gruesomely murdered in Anambra and Benue States. Their killers still walk free. Now, the criminal enterprise has escalated. They no longer just kill in the shadows – they abduct justice in broad daylight.

If judges are no longer safe in Nigeria, who then is?

When those tasked with upholding the Constitution are hunted by the lawless, what hope is left for the ordinary citizen?

What makes this even more chilling is the calculated deception – the use of camouflage uniforms to project false legitimacy. This not only delayed intervention but also completely betrayed public trust. By the time the ruse was uncovered, a High Court Judge had been whisked away – in a state capital, no less – with impunity.

We must now confront a sobering truth: Camouflage is no longer a symbol of protection – it has become the perfect disguise for predators. It must be regulated with urgency. Police officers deployed to civilian spaces must be barred from wearing camouflage. That uniform has been hijacked – weaponized by criminals who now blend seamlessly into our communities, manipulating fear and eroding public vigilance.

Across Nigeria, insecurity festers – from our highways to homes, from farmlands to courtrooms. Criminals grow bolder. Security agencies appear overwhelmed. And the moral authority of the Nigerian state continues to bleed out, slowly but surely.

We cannot afford silence.

The abduction of Hon. Justice E.G. Umokoro is not just another kidnapping – it is a violent blow to the very heart of our democracy. It is a loud, chilling indictment of our security architecture and the government’s capacity to protect its most sacred institutions.

I call on all security agencies – the Police, DSS, Military, NSCDC – to break protocol, collapse silos, and act with unified urgency and uncompromising resolve to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Hon. Justice Umokoro.

Anything less emboldens the enemies of our nation and confirms the collapse of public order.

Enough is enough.

The judiciary must be protected. Our streets must be reclaimed. Camouflage must no longer be a mask for mayhem.

Justice is under siege. And when justice is shackled, none of us is free.

JusticeUnderAttack

BringBackJusticeUmokoro

StopCamouflageAbuse

ProtectTheJudiciary

InsecurityInNigeria

UnitedForSecurity

BarEjioforWrites

@EjioforBar
June 25, 2025