Three men have been sentenced to death for abducting two Catholic priests in Adamawa, bringing DSS-linked death sentences in 2026 to seven

Three men have been sentenced to death for their roles in the kidnapping of two Catholic priests in Adamawa State in February 2025.

Also read: Troops Free Four Kidnap Victims in Zamfara, Kebbi

The convicts, identified as Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikaila Yusuf, were sentenced by Justice Christopher Mapeo of the Adamawa State High Court on Thursday.

They were prosecuted over charges including criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, harbouring a kidnapped person and negotiating for ransom for the release of the priests.

The court found the three defendants guilty of the offences and subsequently sentenced them to death for their involvement in the abduction and related crimes.

The victims, Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman, were kidnapped in Adamawa State in February 2025.

The latest convictions bring to seven the number of death sentences secured by the Department of State Services for suspects involved in kidnapping and terrorism-related offences in 2026.

Earlier in the year, an Ekiti State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging on May 20 over a kidnapping offence.

On June 3, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which killed several worshippers.

The four men 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, the Kogi State High Court handed down 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 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, the 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.

Also read: Troops Free Four Kidnap Victims in Zamfara, Kebbi

The latest Adamawa ruling adds to a growing list of severe convictions secured in cases involving kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes as security agencies intensify efforts to prosecute suspects linked to serious offences.