The Edo State Special Criminal Court sitting in Benin on Thursday ordered the remand of 28-year-old Kingsley Aliyu in a correctional facility over serious allegations of kidnapping and rape.
The order was issued following an ex parte application by the police prosecutor, Emmanuel Ekibade, who urged the court to grant an initial 14-day remand period to allow for legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Edo State Ministry of Justice.
Ekibade told the court that on June 6, at Useh Community Forest within the Benin Judicial Division, the defendant allegedly attacked a 29-year-old woman with two long cutlasses and charms. He is accused of forcefully having sexual intercourse with her without consent.
The prosecutor further alleged that Aliyu held the victim captive in the forest and demanded a ransom of N12 million before she was eventually rescued by security operatives.
The two-count charge against the defendant borders on kidnapping and rape, contravening relevant sections of the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law of Edo State, 2025.
Presiding Judge, Justice Terry Momodu, granted the prosecution’s application and ordered that the suspect be remanded in custody.
The case has been adjourned to July 15 for further proceedings.
