Lawyers in Bayelsa State boycotted all courts on Monday after a judge was kidnapped, in what many see as a shocking slap in the face of Nigeria’s justice system. The incident has raised troubling questions about the safety of judicial officers and the growing culture of impunity in the country.
Judge Kidnapped in Bayelsa While Dining in Public
Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, a sitting judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, was kidnapped on Saturday evening, June 21, 2025. He was abducted by masked gunmen at Kilimanjaro Eatery, a public restaurant opposite the busy Ekeki Park in Yenagoa.
He had just returned from Warri, Delta State, and stopped for a meal when the assailants struck. The judge was whisked away in full public view, and his whereabouts remain unknown as of press time.
This bold attack has thrown the legal community into panic. If a serving judge could be taken in broad daylight, who is safe?
Lawyers Boycott Courts Over Judge’s Abduction
In response to the incident, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa Branch, began a full boycott of court activities on Monday. According to its chairman, Barr. Somina Johnbull, the action is “a solemn but powerful demonstration of solidarity with the abducted jurist.”
“We are not only standing with Justice Omukoro, we are standing for the rule of law,” Johnbull said in a strongly worded statement.
The NBA described the kidnapping as a direct attack on the judiciary. The decision to boycott courts was taken to send a strong message to security agencies and government authorities.
Though lawyers initially planned a protest march, they instead opted for a symbolic gathering. On Monday, legal professionals in full robes converged at the Bayelsa State High Court Headquarters. Protest letters were also sent to the Commissioner of Police and the State DSS Director.
Judge Kidnapped in Bayelsa—Is This the New Normal?
The NBA Yenagoa Chairman warned that the abduction was not an isolated event. “This is not just about Justice Omukoro. This is about the erosion of judicial independence. If judges are unsafe, justice itself is under siege,” Johnbull declared.
The lawyers clarified that the boycott was not punitive but a professional obligation to defend the judiciary. According to them, no legal system can thrive in an atmosphere of fear and violence.
“This action is not to disrupt justice,” Johnbull added, “but to defend its sanctity.”
Judge Kidnapped in Bayelsa, Lawyers Boycott Courts
The message from Bayelsa lawyers is loud and clear: when a judge is kidnapped, the courts must go silent in protest. With a judge kidnapped in Bayelsa and lawyers boycotting courts, the Nigerian judiciary is at a dangerous crossroads.
Will the government wake up before more judges are abducted? Or will this silence from the courtrooms become the new sound of protest?
