Gunmen yesterday abducted a judge of the Bayelsa State High Court, Justice E.G. Umokoro, in Yenagoa, the state capital.
He was reportedly kidnapped in front of popular eatery in Ekeki area along the Chief Melford Okilo Expressway at about 7p.m.
Although the motive for the abduction is unclear, the incident heightened tension in the state following violent clashes between cult groups which has claimed scores of lives including violent robberies in parts of the state.