• A source, according to SaharaReporters, confirmed the upcoming hearings, saying most of the defendants are prepared to counter the prosecution’s narrative and expose the contradictions in the evidence presented against them.
The fifteen domestic workers who have been languishing in detention since 2019 over allegations of stealing jewellery belonging to former Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan, will return to the Bayelsa State High Court on Thursday and Friday to continue their defence, it was gathered.
A source on the case confirmed the upcoming hearings, saying most of the defendants are prepared to counter the prosecution’s narrative and expose the contradictions in the evidence presented against them.
“They are going to court on Thursday and Friday. They will continue their defence. This time most of the defendants will prove before the court how they were not connected to the allegations leveled against them,” the source said, Wednesday.
“They will also be taking advantage of the contradictions in the prosecution cases. Since the court has ordered accelerated hearing,” the source added.
The ongoing trial, which has now dragged on for nearly six years without a single conviction, has continued to raise public outrage, with renewed focus following SaharaReporters’ earlier exposé revealing brutal torture tactics allegedly used by the Nigerian Police to extract forced confessions from the accused.
During a recent court session, multiple defendants gave detailed accounts of inhumane treatment suffered at the hands of police officers.
All fifteen accused, Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Sahabi Lima, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Salomi Wareboka, Sunday Reginald, Boma Oba, Vivian Golden, and Emeka Benson, have been detained at the Okaka Correctional Centre in Yenagoa since their arrest in 2019.
Two lawyers have been accused of intentionally delaying proceedings through a pattern of flimsy excuses, such as sudden health issues, unavailable witnesses, and suspicious adjournment requests.
“These two lawyers have been handling this case from day one, and they’ve made sure it drags endlessly. One of their witnesses took nearly two years to testify. It’s all a game to break the accused mentally and physically,” a court insider disclosed.
Another source alleged that the prolonged trial is not a matter of pursuing justice but a tool of revenge and punishment.
“The aim is to frustrate the process and keep these innocent people in prison as long as possible. It’s an abuse of the legal system,” the source noted.
Following growing public backlash, the Bayelsa State High Court was recently forced to order an accelerated hearing in the matter.
Despite the gravity of the allegations, neither the police officers named in the torture claims nor Mrs. Jonathan has been summoned to answer for the accusations, raising further questions about accountability within Nigeria’s justice system.