An Adamawa State High Court has sentenced three men to death for kidnapping two Catholic priests in February 2025, in what the Department of State Services (DSS) described as its seventh death-sentence victory in 2026.
The convicts, Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan, and Mikaila Yusuf, were sentenced on Thursday by Justice Christopher Mapeo after being found guilty of offences including kidnapping, armed robbery, criminal conspiracy, and negotiating for ransom.
The victims, Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman, were abducted from their residence in Gweda Mallam, Adamawa State, on February 22, 2025. They were later rescued in a joint security operation involving the DSS, police, and local vigilantes.
The DSS said the judgment adds to a series of death sentences secured in 2026 in cases involving kidnapping, terrorism, and other serious crimes.
The sentences remain subject to applicable legal procedures, including appeals and the constitutional requirements for implementing capital punishment in Nigeria.
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