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By 247ureports.com
Four persons, including a woman, have been sentenced to death by hanging or lethal injection over the June 2026 kidnapping of a woman at the Vegetable Market on Airport Road in Benin City, in the maiden judgment delivered by the Edo State Special Criminal Court.
The Judgment
Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu handed down the sentences on Tuesday, September 29, following a trial lasting more than three hours on an 11-count charge covering kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. The convicts are Marvellous Isaac, 32, described as the gang leader; Wisdom Michael, 36; Rufus Emete Michael, 30; and Gift Raphael, 27.
Sentencing was tiered by count: Isaac received seven years on count one, death sentences on counts two through nine, ten years on count ten, and life imprisonment on count eleven. Wisdom Michael received seven years on count one and death on counts two through nine. Rufus Emete Michael received seven years on count one and death sentences on counts two, three, four, six and seven. Gift Raphael received seven years on count one and death sentences on counts two, four, six and eight. Pronouncing sentence, the judge stated that her hands were tied under the law, and directed that a pump-action shotgun, cartridges and other exhibits recovered from the defendants be handed over to the state police armoury for destruction within 30 days.
The Underlying Case
The charges stemmed from the June 14, 2026, abduction of a woman seized by armed men at the Vegetable Market in Benin City’s Government Reserved Area; she was later released unharmed. Police investigations led to the defendants’ arrest and the recovery of a red Lexus RX 350, a pump-action shotgun, a motorcycle and mobile phones linked to the case, according to Edo State Police Public Relations Officer Eno Ikoedem, who confirmed the arrests.
A New Court, A Governor’s Mandate
The Edo State Special Criminal Court was established on July 1, 2026, under a directive from Governor Monday Okpebholo specifically to handle kidnapping and cultism-related cases and expedite prosecution of violent crime in the state. Announcing the measure, Okpebholo said it was intended to stem the rising tide of such crimes and send a signal that Edo State would not be a haven for criminal elements. Tuesday’s ruling is the court’s first judgment since its creation.
It follows a separate Edo High Court judgment in June, in which five people were sentenced to death for the abduction and murder of a lawyer, Iyoha Osobase, while a sixth defendant was discharged and acquitted.
