• Adeyanju’s appeal follows the death of one of the accused, Sahabi Liman, who reportedly fell seriously ill while in prison custody in Bayelsa and died before the conclusion of the case.
Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has written an open letter to former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, calling for the discontinuation of the trial of her former domestic staff accused of stealing jewellery.
Adeyanju’s appeal follows the death of one of the accused, Sahabi Liman, who reportedly fell seriously ill while in prison custody in Bayelsa and died before the conclusion of the case.
In an open letter on Tuesday, Adeyanju described Liman’s death as a stark reminder of the consequences of prolonged pre-trial detention, stressing that the five-year trial has inflicted undue suffering on the 15 accused persons.
According to Adeyanju, 15 of Jonathan’s former domestic staff have been facing trial since 2019 after they were accused of stealing jewellery.
He noted that despite being in detention for over five years, their case has dragged on without resolution.
He stressed that justice delayed in such a manner amounted to a denial of justice, urging Jonathan to act with compassion by ensuring the case is brought to an end.
He argued that the case has shifted beyond the issue of the missing jewelry and become a matter of human rights, justice, and compassion.
According to him, even if the workers had been found guilty, they would not have spent this long behind bars for such an offence.
Adeyanju appealed to Mrs Jonathan to act as a “mother figure” and withdraw the case in the interest of fairness, allowing the former staff members an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
According to the human rights lawyer, “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.
“This is no longer about the stolen jewelry, but about people who have been locked up and suffering for too long. Even if they had been found guilty, they would not have spent this long behind bars for such an offense. And if they are innocent, then we have all watched them suffer for nothing.
“Punishment must have proportion, and what is happening here is far beyond proportion.
“I therefore appeal to you as a mother figure in our nation to discontinue this case as an act of fairness, to let compassion guide your decision and allow these ex-workers a chance to rebuild their lives,” Adeyanju added.