Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo said on Monday in Benin City that he would not hesitate to sign a death warrant against any relative convicted of kidnapping, even if the convicted person were his own father. The statement was made as part of the governor’s broader anti‑kidnapping campaign.
Okpebholo warned that “nobody would be spared” under his administration, adding, “I pray our brothers are not involved because I would sign you too. In any case, my father, I would sign you.” He argued that removing “bad elements” from the system is essential for public safety, despite the harshness of the death penalty.
“The truth is this: we just have to get some bad elements out of the system, for the system to stand. And because somebody would die… but these people are killing people, and many people are being killed,” the governor said.
The governor cited the brutal attack on Edo State’s chief judge, whose hand was reportedly cut off by kidnappers, as evidence of the severity of the crime. He said he has been waiting for the relevant legal documents to act, but learned that the convicted individuals have appealed their sentences.
Okpebholo pledged to pursue the appeals, stating, “We won’t just leave them to go like that. So we’ll get to wherever they stop. We’ll take them from there. We will not spare anybody. If I see this paper today, now, I will sign it, and I will even survive the killing.”
Edo State approved the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law, 2025, in February 2025, which introduced the death penalty for kidnapping offences that result in a victim’s death. In September 2026, a special criminal court in the state sentenced four men—Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael—to death for the June 14, 2026 abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road, Benin City, on charges that included kidnapping, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
