Kidnapped Kogi judge regains freedom

AFTER spending 34 days in the abductors’den, the abducted Kogi State High Court judge, Justice Samuel Obayomi, has finally regained his freedom, Saturday night. Obayomi is the judge of High Court of Ebogogo, in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State and was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Monday, May 25, at about 8.45 a.m. on his way to the office by a three-member gang, all dressed in black. However, he lost his police orderly, Corporal Usman Musa and was driven away in his Toyota Yaris car from the GRA in Okene. The abductors had earlier demanded N150 million ransom, but it cannot be confirmed whether any amount was paid before his release. The state Police Commissioner, Mr Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, told newsmen on Sunday, in Lokoja, the state capital, that Obayomi was released Saturday night, between 10.00 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. Ogunjemilusi, who could not describe where and how the judge was released or if any ransom was paid, however, informed that Obayomi had been taken to a safe place, adding that he was yet to be released to his family. Chief Judge of the state, Justice Nasir Ajanah, also confirmed the release of the judge in a telephone chat with newsmen, saying “we thank God for that, but I cannot give you more information than you already have.”