There was panic in Bayelsa State on Thursday following the invasion of the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa by hoodlums suspected to be political thugs, which disrupted court proceedings.

The court was said to be hearing a pre-election suit between the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abel Ebifemowei, and Moses Cleopas of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both from the Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, when the hoodlums sacked the court.

The rescheduled senatorial bye-elections for Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West will be conducted on Saturday, December 5.

It was gathered that the invasion occurred at about 1:30pm while the presiding judge, Justice Jane Inyang was not on seat, and some people sustained injuries as a result of the stampede.

Inyang, it was learnt, had stood down the suit to allow parties to regularise their processes when the hoodlums attacked the court.

A former state legal adviser of the PDP, Richard Perekeme, confirmed the development and said that lawyers and litigants scampered to safety.

He said, “The hoodlums were about 20 in number and armed with dangerous weapons. They seize legal wigs from lawyers. They collected mobile phones and chased everyone out of Court 2, though they did not take mine.”

Perekeme, who could not confirm if the invaders were political thugs, added: “We thank God the judge was not on seat. There was poor security around the premises.” (Daily Independent)