The Edo State Special Criminal Court in Benin City has sentenced four defendants to death over their involvement in the abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road in the state capital.
Justice Aigbona Momodu delivered the judgment on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in what marked the court’s first judgment in a kidnapping case since its establishment to handle kidnapping and cultism-related offences in Edo State.
The defendants were identified as Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael. They had faced an 11-count charge involving kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms.
The case followed the June 14, 2026 abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road in Benin City. According to information presented during the proceedings, the woman was abducted in broad daylight and was later released unharmed. Police investigations subsequently led to the arrest of the defendants and the recovery of items allegedly connected to the crime.
In the judgment, Justice Momodu sentenced each of the four defendants to seven years’ imprisonment on count one. Isaac was sentenced to death on counts two through nine, as well as 10 years’ imprisonment on count 10 and life imprisonment on count 11.
Wisdom Michael received death sentences on counts two through nine. Rufus Emete Michael was sentenced to death on counts two, three, four, six and seven, while Gift Raphael received death sentences on counts two, four, six and eight.
The judge explained that the sentences were prescribed by the relevant law, indicating that the court did not have discretion to impose lesser penalties on the applicable counts. The ruling included death by hanging or, where applicable, by lethal injection.
The court also ordered the confiscation of a JoJef pump-action firearm and four cartridges tendered as exhibits during the trial. The exhibits were ordered to be handed over to the Edo State Police Armourer for destruction within 30 days.
The four defendants had pleaded not guilty when the trial began. Earlier proceedings included testimony from prosecution witnesses and the presentation of documentary and physical evidence, while the defence also presented its case before the court proceeded to judgment.
The Edo State Special Criminal Court was established in 2026 following a directive to accelerate the prosecution of kidnapping and cultism cases. The September 29 judgment represents its first reported verdict in a kidnapping case.
The convictions and sentences mark a significant development in Edo State’s judicial response to kidnapping cases, although the execution of a death sentence in Nigeria remains subject to the applicable legal and constitutional procedures.