Three sentenced to death for kidnapping priests in 2026

On October 20, 2026, a High Court sentenced Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan, and Mikaila Yusuf to death for their involvement in the kidnapping of Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman in February 2025. Justice Christopher Mapeo delivered the judgment, convicting the three men on multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, harboring a kidnapped person, and negotiating to receive ransom.

The court imposed the death sentence on all three for kidnapping, armed robbery, and related offences. This ruling represents the seventh death sentence secured by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2026.

Previous sentences included those handed down to Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar on May 20, 2026, and four men on June 3, 2026, for various serious crimes, including a massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.