Updated: Kidnapping Convicts Face Death As Edo Special Court Delivers Landmark Verdict

by Idahosa Moses | Benin

 

— SAN urges Okpebholo to await appeal window

Four suspected members of a kidnapping gang were today sentenced to death by hanging by an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City, in a landmark judgment that has placed the state’s specialised criminal justice system under national spotlight.

The verdict, delivered by Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu of the Edo State Special Criminal Court, followed the trial of the four defendants over the broad-daylight abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road, Benin, on June 14, 2026.

The convicts, Marvellous Isaac, 32; Wisdom Michael, 36; Rufus Emete Michael, 30; and Gift Raphael, 27, were prosecuted on an 11-count charge arising from allegations of kidnapping and other related offences.

However, hours after the judgment, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Notary Public, Olayiwola Afolabi, cautioned Governor Monday Okpebholo against taking any step towards executing the convicts until the expiration of the period allowed by law for them to exercise their right of appeal.

Afolabi said the Governor could not lawfully order the execution of the convicts immediately, stressing that they should first be allowed to pursue whatever appellate remedies are available to them.

“The Governor cannot order execution of the convicts. It is only when they fail to file an appeal within the required 90 days,” Afolabi said, adding that he expected the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Roland Otaru, to advise the Governor appropriately.

The development has therefore shifted the significance of the judgment beyond the punishment handed down to the four convicts, raising broader questions about the balance between speedy criminal justice, deterrence of violent crime and the constitutional safeguards available to persons convicted by the courts.

The prosecution, led by Otaru, called seven witnesses during the trial, while the defence did not call any witness.

The court also admitted several exhibits, including alleged confessional statements, a Lexus RX 350 SUV, a pump-action firearm, ammunition, a mobile phone and other materials tendered by the prosecution.

The prosecution’s case was linked to the June 14 abduction, when armed men allegedly attacked a vehicle at the busy Vegetable Market and abducted the woman in the presence of her husband and children. The incident generated public concern and triggered a police investigation.

According to evidence earlier presented before the court, investigations allegedly connected the Lexus SUV to other kidnapping incidents, while the arrest of Isaac on June 18 reportedly led to the recovery of the vehicle and other exhibits. The prosecution subsequently linked the other defendants to the alleged criminal enterprise.

In his judgment, Justice Momodu found the defendants guilty on various counts, although the sentences differed according to the counts on which each was convicted.

Isaac was sentenced to seven years on one count, 10 years on another and life imprisonment on another, in addition to the death penalty on several kidnapping counts.

Wisdom Michael was discharged and acquitted on counts 10 and 11, but convicted on other counts. Rufus Michael received seven years on count one and the death sentence on applicable kidnapping counts, while he was discharged and acquitted on several other counts.

The only female defendant, Gift Raphael, was discharged and acquitted on several counts, but received seven years imprisonment on count one and death sentences on specified kidnapping counts.

The judgment followed months of proceedings at the specialised court established to handle kidnapping, cultism and other violent-crime cases, with the prosecution earlier closing its case after calling seven witnesses.

The case had attracted particular attention because of the alleged brazen nature of the June 14 abduction and the decision to prosecute it before a specialised criminal court.

The court’s determination is consequently being viewed against the wider national challenge of ensuring that kidnapping cases do not languish for years before judgment is delivered.

Afolabi’s intervention has, however, brought the appellate process to the centre of the debate, underscoring that a conviction and sentence at the trial court do not necessarily mark the end of the judicial process.

Meanwhile, Barrister Jude Okonkwo commended Justice Momodu for what he described as a sound judgment and for the effort invested in the trial.

The case is expected to remain a major reference point in the assessment of Edo’s specialised approach to the prosecution of kidnapping cases, particularly as the state seeks to combine swift adjudication with adherence to due process and the rights of convicted persons.