RismadarVoice Reporters
November 1, 2026
An Edo State Special Criminal Court has sentenced four convicted kidnappers, including a woman, to death following their involvement in a series of abductions in Benin City, with CCTV footage playing a significant role in the investigation.
The convicts, Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael, were found guilty of offences including kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms and membership of a secret cult.
Justice Aigbona Momodu delivered the judgment on September 29, 2026, following their prosecution on an 11-count charge.
The case followed the June 14 abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market, off Airport Road, Benin City.
According to evidence presented during the trial, armed men arrived in a red Lexus SUV, shot the tyres of a Toyota Highlander and abducted a woman whose husband escaped.
A nearby surveillance camera captured the incident, and the footage subsequently circulated on social media, assisting police investigators in identifying and tracking the suspects.
Investigations led to the arrest of the first defendant on June 17, while the remaining defendants were apprehended on June 20 at different locations in Edo and Delta states.
During the trial, prosecutors presented seven witnesses and several exhibits linking the defendants to multiple kidnapping operations.
Evidence before the court indicated that the group demanded approximately ₦130 million in ransom payments across different incidents and reportedly collected about ₦60 million.
One victim testified that she recognised the defendants during her abduction, while other witnesses described separate incidents involving the same criminal group.
Delivering judgment, Justice Momodu commended the private citizen whose CCTV camera recorded the market abduction, noting that the footage contributed significantly to the investigation and prosecution.
He encouraged residents and business owners to install surveillance cameras as part of efforts to strengthen crime detection and public safety.
The court imposed death sentences by hanging or lethal injection on the four defendants for various offences.
Additional prison terms were imposed, including seven-year sentences for all four convicts and a life sentence against Isaac on another count.
Justice Momodu also ordered the confiscation of a pump-action firearm and ammunition tendered as exhibits, directing their transfer to the Edo State Police for destruction.
The judgment represents one of the early major convictions secured by the state’s special criminal court, established to accelerate the prosecution of kidnapping and cultism-related offences.
The case has highlighted the potential importance of surveillance technology in criminal investigations, while any challenge to the convictions remains subject to the judicial appeal process.
