By David Lawani, Abuja
The Department of State Services (DSS) has secured its seventh death sentence in 2026 following the conviction of three persons for abducting two Catholic priests in Adamawa State.
The Adamawa State High Court on Thursday, October 22, sentenced Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikalia Yusuf to death by hanging for their roles in the February 2025 abduction of Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman in Numan Local Government Area.
The DSS disclosed the development in a statement, saying the latest judgment brought to seven the number of death sentences secured in cases handled by the service this year.
According to the service, the cases involved kidnapping, terrorism, murder, arms proliferation and other security-related offences.
The Adamawa judgment is the latest in a series of convictions recorded by the DSS since May, with the seven cases resulting in death sentences for 16 persons.
The first was recorded on May 20, when the Ekiti State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging for kidnapping.
On June 3, the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four defendants linked to the 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, to death by hanging for conspiracy and terrorism.
The convicts were identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulkareem Idris.
The Owo attack occurred during a church service and resulted in the deaths and injuries of several worshippers.
On June 15, the Katsina State High Court sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar, a female arms courier, to death by hanging.
The following day, June 16, the Kogi State High Court handed down the same sentence to Jibrin Halilu after convicting him of kidnapping and murder.
The series continued on June 22, when the Sokoto State High Court sentenced Muhammed Yusuf Sallau, Jabbi Ahlaji Yale and Kabiru Muhammed to death by hanging for offences involving terrorism and arms proliferation.
Another Sokoto State High Court judgment followed on September 28, when Ibrahim Usman, popularly known as Dan Iyali, was sentenced to death by hanging over his involvement in the killing of three kidnapped persons.
The DSS said the latest judgment reflected its efforts to ensure that perpetrators of serious security-related offences were brought before the courts.
The cases cover different parts of the country and offences ranging from kidnapping and murder to terrorism and illegal arms movement.
However, the death sentences remain subject to applicable judicial procedures, including any available appeal processes.
The DSS did not provide details of the evidence relied upon by the Adamawa court in convicting the three men or indicate whether the defendants had filed appeals as of Thursday.
