Edo special court sentences four to death over kidnapping case
An Edo State Special Criminal Court has sentenced four people to death for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of a woman at a market along Airport Road in Benin City. The judgment was the court’s first in a kidnapping case since it was established to expedite prosecutions involving kidnapping and cultism.
An Edo State Special Criminal Court has sentenced four people to death for their involvement in the kidnapping of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road in Benin City, Channels Television reported. Justice Aigbona Momodu delivered the judgment on Tuesday. It was the court’s maiden judgment in a kidnapping case.
The four convicts faced an 11-count charge involving kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. The case arose from the broad-daylight abduction of the woman on June 14, 2026. The source material did not identify the victim or provide the names of the four convicts.
It also did not detail the evidence presented during the trial or state whether the defendants indicated that they would appeal the sentences. The Edo State Special Criminal Court was established on July 1, 2026. Its mandate is to handle cases related to kidnapping and cultism and to speed up the prosecution of violent crimes in the state.
The sentence marks the first reported kidnapping judgment by the newly established court. The available account did not provide further information about the circumstances of the abduction, the recovery of the victim or the roles attributed to each defendant. Channels Television reported the judgment as part of the court’s effort to address kidnapping-related cases.
No additional reaction from the prosecution, defence lawyers or the families involved was included in the supplied material.
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