Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt

Barely 24 hours after the All Progressive Congress,APC,raised an alarm that attempts to forcefully open the courts were in the works and called for the quick intervention of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria,CJN, unidentified gunmen have abducted the Chief Registrar of the Rivers State High Court, Mr. Leonard Adoki.

Mr. Adoki was kidnapped on Sunday, in his home town, Amalem, Abua, in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state.

Leonard Adoki: kidnapped

The Chief Registrar was ambushed by the gunmen while he was returning from church.

He was whisked him to an unknown destination and no contacts have been established with the members of his family.

The Rivers Police Police Command Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said that two suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction, adding that investigations were on to track down the fleeing gang members..

He said: “Efforts are on to rescue him as two suspects involved in the abduction have been arrested”.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt, has condemned the abduction.

Spokesman, Angus Chukwuka, described the act as an aberration, and urged the perpetrators to release him unconditionally.

At the peak of the crisis on the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge of Rivers State between Justice Peter Agumagu and Justice Daisy Okocha,the Rivers State House of Assembly amended the state high Court rules, vesting powers to assign cases to Judges on the Chief Registrar in the absence of the CJ.

The new rule however did assuage the feelings of a cross section of lawyers in the state, with the courts still under lock for about seven months now.