Human-rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has appealed to former First Lady Patience Jonathan to discontinue the protracted case against her former domestic staff, following the death of one of the accused while in custody.
Adeyanju made the plea in an open letter titled “Open Letter by Deji Adeyanju to Dame Patience Jonathan after the Death of Her Former Domestic Staff Standing Trial for Theft of Jewellery in Bayelsa Prison.” He stressed that the prolonged detention has taken a significant toll on the accused and their families, warning that any punishment should be proportionate to the alleged offence.
“For more than five years now, fifteen of your former domestic staff have been standing trial over allegations of missing jewellery. They were arrested in 2019, kept in custody, and have since been dragged through the courts without resolution. Along the way, one of them, Sahabi Liman, fell seriously ill in prison and has now died. That death is a reminder that justice delayed so severely becomes no justice at all. It should also make us look again at the entire case and the toll it has taken on all involved,” the letter reads.
Reports indicate that the 15 aides were held at the Okaka Custodial Centre in Bayelsa State for allegedly stealing jewellery from the former First Lady. The accused include Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Sunday Reginald, Vivian Golden, Emeka Benson, Boma Oba, Salomi Wareboka, and Sahabi Liman.
The defendants, who appeared before the High Court of Bayelsa in 2019, were accused of stealing seven gold bangles and other jewellery, five Samsung air conditioners, two sets of upholstery chairs, and six Samsung flat-screen televisions, with a total value of about N200 million. The matter remains pending in court.
Adeyanju’s appeal highlights concerns over prolonged detention and questions whether justice delayed in such high-profile cases may, in effect, become justice denied.
