Edo: Okpebholo threatens to sign death warrants for convicted kidnappers if they do not appeal

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo said he would sign the death warrants of four men convicted of abducting a woman at Benin City’s Vegetable Market if they did not appeal within the prescribed period. The state’s Special Criminal Court sentenced them to death on September 29, 2026; Okpebholo said an appeal would only delay their execution. He also described his campaign against kidnapping and cultism and said he had warned traditional rulers not to intervene for people involved in such crimes. At a prayer meeting, Apostle Ehijele Umuahia urged church members to vote for Okpebholo and his preferred candidates in the 2027 elections.