In a Press Statement Signed by Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, the Edo State Government has announced that the Edo State Special Criminal Court sitting in Benin City will on September 29 deliver its first judgment in a high-profile kidnapping case.
According to the statement with reference number NO 529/EDSGH/2026 from the Office of the Governor, the case arises from the abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road, Benin City.
The statement recalled that on June 14 this year, gunmen using an SUV abducted the woman in broad daylight at the market, triggering a police investigation that led to the arrest of several suspects.
It disclosed that the Special Criminal Court was established in July 2026 following a directive by Governor Monday Okpebholo that the Judiciary accelerate the trial of kidnapping and cultism cases, pledging that convicted kidnappers would face capital punishment.
Governor Okpebholo, on a visit to the State Police Headquarters where the suspects were paraded, was quoted in the statement as saying that “whoever is found guilty will face the full weight of the law,” and threatened that he would personally sign death warrants in accordance with existing legislation.
The statement added that one of the suspects, Marvelous Isaac, 32, was arrested on June 18 during a gun duel with operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team. Another suspected gang member, identified as Precious, was killed during the operation.
Subsequent arrests brought Gift Raphael, 27, Wisdom Michael and Rufus Michael into police custody. The abducted woman was released unharmed two days after the incident.
In the course of investigation, the Police traced a red Lexus RX 350 allegedly used in the abduction, and recovered a pump-action shotgun with live ammunition, a motorcycle and cash suspected to be proceeds of crime.
The September 29 judgment is expected to be a litmus test of the special court’s capacity to deliver timely verdicts in cases linked to violent crime and ransom-related abductions.
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