DSS Secures Death Sentence for Three Men Over Abduction of Catholic Priests
An Adamawa State High Court has sentenced three men to death for their involvement in the kidnapping of two Catholic priests, Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman, in February 2025.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Christopher Mapeo, followed the conviction of Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikaila Yusuf on charges including criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, harbouring a kidnapped person and negotiating to collect ransom for the priests’ release.
The development marks the seventh death sentence secured by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2026, according to News Point Nigeria.
The court found the three defendants guilty of the offences and sentenced them to death for their roles in the kidnapping and related crimes.
The latest judgment adds to a series of capital convictions secured in different states this year in cases involving kidnapping, terrorism and other serious offences.
On May 20, 2026, an Ekiti State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging for kidnapping.
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On June 3, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men to death by hanging over their involvement in the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of scores of worshippers.
The convicts were identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulkareem Idris.
On June 15, a Katsina State High Court sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar, described as a female arms courier, to death by hanging. A day later, a Kogi State High Court handed the same sentence to Jibrin Halilu for kidnapping and murdering his neighbour in Obajana, an industrial town in the state.
On June 22, a Sokoto State High Court sentenced three men—Muhammed Yusuf Sallau, Jabbi Ahlaji Yale and Kabiru Muhammed—to death by hanging for terrorism-related offences and transporting arms.
More recently, on September 28, a Sokoto State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Usman, also known as Dan Iyali, to death by hanging over his involvement in the killing of three kidnapped persons in the state.
The latest conviction in Adamawa underscores continuing judicial efforts to prosecute serious crimes, particularly kidnapping and violent offences, as security agencies pursue cases against suspected perpetrators.
By PRNigeria
