Okpebholo Vows to Sign Death Warrants of Vegetable Market Kidnappers if They Fail to Appeal

By Rosemary Okoduwa

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has vowed to sign the death warrants of four convicts in the Vegetable Market kidnapping case if they fail to appeal their sentences within 30 days, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to tackling kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes.

Speaking during a fellowship at God’s People Worldwide Prayer Ministry, the governor recalled the security challenges he faced on assuming office and said he had discussed insecurity and Edo’s poor roads with President Bola Tinubu.

Recounting the abduction at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road, Benin City, Okpebholo said he contacted the President after the incident and assured him that his administration could handle it. He said he prayed for the kidnappers to be arrested within 24 hours before directing the Commissioner of Police to apprehend them.

“I told him I wanted these guys arrested because I already have an approval from God, and they were caught within that time,” the governor said, attributing the arrests to his faith and the swift response of security agencies.

Okpebholo said an Edo State Special Criminal Court sentenced the four defendants to death on September 29, 2026, for abducting a woman at the Vegetable Market. Expressing hope that they would not appeal, he said, “They are already sentenced to death, and I pray they don’t appeal the judgment. Even when they appeal the judgment, they are only delaying time. If within 30 days, they don’t appeal, I will execute.”

The governor also recalled meeting prominent traditional rulers across Edo before launching his campaign against kidnapping and cultism, warning them not to intervene for people involved in crime. He further described strange incidents he associated with spiritual forces after the demolition of a building allegedly linked to a cult group, including the death of a black bird in his office and a vulture in his bed while he was contesting for governor.

Earlier, the founder of God’s People Worldwide Prayer Ministry, Apostle Ehijele Umuahia, urged Christians to support Okpebholo and his preferred candidates in the 2027 general elections. Citing Proverbs 29:2, he called on church members to combine prayers with active participation in the electoral process.

Umuahia described Okpebholo as a humble man whose devotion to God predated his emergence as governor. He said he had known him for more than 15 years through the late Chief Tony Anenih, whom Okpebholo often accompanied during visits to the ministry, and noted that he maintained his religious commitment despite the demands of public life.