Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo said he would sign death warrants for four people sentenced in a kidnapping case if they did not appeal within 30 days, despite Nigeria’s 90-day statutory appeal period.
The pledge appeared in a statement from Patrick Ebojele, the governor’s chief press secretary, cited by PUNCH on Oct. 23. PUNCH reported that Okpebholo made the remarks and expressed hope that the defendants would not appeal. The statement did not say when the 30 days would begin or cite a legal basis for that period.
The Edo State Special Criminal Court handed down the sentences Sept. 29 in a case concerning the June 14 abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market on Airport Road in Benin City. Channels Television published text it identified as the court’s sentencing decision; its account says the punishments included death by hanging or lethal injection on multiple counts.
Section 24(2)(b) of the Court of Appeal Act sets a 90-day period after a decision for filing a criminal appeal. The Court of Appeal’s public guidance gives the same period for appeals from final decisions. The governor’s stated condition is shorter, but his reported statement did not explain its legal basis.
Channels Television named the four defendants as Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael. It described an 11-count case involving kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. Isaac’s given-name spelling is unverified: Channels used “Marvellous,” while an Edo government release used “Marvelous.” The original signed judgment was unavailable to resolve the difference.
Premium Times reported that Felix Imasuen, Raphael’s lawyer, said after the judgment that his client would appeal. The report did not confirm whether an appeal was later filed.
The Office of the Governor said the special court began operating in July 2026 after Okpebholo directed the judiciary to accelerate kidnapping and cultism cases. The Edo Broadcasting Service described speeding up trials as the court’s purpose. The state’s 2025 Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law provides for the death penalty for convicted kidnappers and for confiscation and demolition of property used to facilitate kidnapping, according to an Edo State Government newsletter.
The next developments are whether an appeal is filed and whether officials clarify how they count the 30-day period. No hearing date was reported.
