DSS secures 7th death sentence as Adamawa court convicts three over kidnap of Catholic priests

A high Court of Adamawa State, on Thursday, sentenced to death three persons who kidnapped two Catholic priests in February 2025.

Delivering judgement, Justice Christopher Mapeo found the three men guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, harboring a kidnapped person and negotiating to receive ransom for the release of Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman.

The judge sentenced the three men, Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikaila Yusuf, to death for kidnapping, armed robbery and other offences.Thursday’s death sentence is the seventh secured by the DSS this year. On 20th May, 2026, Ekiti High Court sentenced two men, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging for kidnapping.

About two weeks later, on 3rd June, 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced to death by hanging, four men who, in June 2022, massacred scores of worshippers at the St. Francis Catholic church, Owo, Ondo State.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulkareem Idris.

Less than two weeks later, on 15th June, 2026, a Katsina High Court sentenced a female arms courier, Hauwa’u Mukhtar, to death by hanging.

The following day, on 16th June, 2026, a Kogi High Court sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death by hanging for kidnapping and murdering his neighbour in Obajana, an industrial town in the state.

About a week after the Kogi sentencing, on 22nd June, 2026, a Sokoto High court sentenced three persons Muhammed Yusuf Sallau, Jabbi Ahlaji Yale and Kabiru Muhammed, to death by hanging, for terrorism and for transporting arms.

Less than three months later, on28th September 2026, a Sokoto High Court sentenced Ibrahim Usman aka Dan Iyali to death by hanging over his involvement in the killing of three kidnapped persons in the state.

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