The Edo State Special Criminal Court in Benin City has sentenced four people to death over a kidnapping at the Vegetable Market.
Justice Aigbona Momodu delivered the judgment on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The court said it was its maiden judgment in a kidnapping case. The four convicts are Marvellous Isaac, 32; Wisdom Michael, 36; Rufus Emete Michael, 30; and Gift Raphael, 27.
The case followed the June 14, 2026, abduction of a woman at the market along Airport Road. According to reports, she was there with her husband and children when armed men allegedly approached and took her away. A video of the incident circulated online, and police later confirmed it.
The defendants faced an 11-count charge covering kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. The prosecution called seven witnesses and presented CCTV footage and the defendants’ statements, led by Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Roland Otaru.
Justice Momodu imposed different sentences based on the charges for which each defendant was convicted.
