Four persons have been sentenced to death by the Edo State Special Criminal Court for their roles in the kidnapping of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road in Benin City.
Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu handed down the sentences on Tuesday while delivering judgement in the 11-count case involving kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. The defendants are Marvelous Isaac, 32; Wisdom Michael, 36; Rufus Emete Michael, 30; and Gift Raphael, 27.
The case followed the June 14, 2026, abduction of a woman who was at the market with her husband and children when gunmen reportedly stormed the area and took her away. The woman was later released unharmed.
The incident attracted public attention after a woman who said she witnessed the abduction shared a video of the incident online. “Today, for the first time, I witnessed someone being kidnapped,” she said.
She added that the abduction occurred in her presence at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road, saying she had helped the victim’s children during the incident.
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The Edo State Police Command later confirmed the abduction. Police investigations subsequently led to the arrest of the four defendants, while another suspected member of the gang, identified as Precious, was killed during an operation.
During the trial, the prosecution called witnesses and tendered exhibits, including a pump-action shotgun, ammunition, a Lexus RX 350 SUV and other items allegedly linked to the offences.
In the judgement, the court imposed death sentences on the four convicts on several counts. It also handed down additional prison terms on other counts, including seven years’ imprisonment and, in Isaac’s case, life imprisonment on one count.
The court further ordered that the firearms and ammunition tendered as exhibits be confiscated and handed over to the Edo State Police Command for destruction.
The Special Criminal Court was established in July 2026 following a directive by Governor Monday Okpebholo to expedite the trial of kidnapping and cultism-related cases in the state.
Guardian
