The Bayelsa State High Court has ordered a fast-tracked trial for 15 domestic workers who have spent nearly six years in detention at the Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa, without conviction, over missing jewellery belonging to former First Lady Patience Jonathan.
Newsmen gathered that the order came after the prosecution and defence teams reached a rare consensus during Thursday’s proceedings to fast-track the case, which has suffered deliberate and serial delays allegedly masterminded by Patience Jonathan’s private legal team.
“The court proceeded well today, and both parties have agreed to finish the case as soon as possible, with an accelerated hearing. So victory is coming,” a source close to the defence told newsmen.
The 15 accused persons, most of whom were part of Mrs Jonathan’s domestic staff, were arrested in 2019 and have remained in detention without bail, with the case dragging on endlessly for years amid reports of consistent manipulation of court processes.
A previous report by newsmen exposed a pattern of intentional court delays reportedly orchestrated by Mrs Jonathan’s private prosecutors, Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba, both of whom have been consistently representing the former First Lady since 2019.
“The prosecutors are Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba,” one of the sources confirmed.
“One of them comes from Lagos while the second travels in from Port Harcourt. They’ve been handling this case from day one, presenting witnesses who come to tell lies. One witness took almost two years,” a source earlier told newsmen.
Sources alleged that Mrs Jonathan gave direct instructions to delay the proceedings.
“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,” a source close to the courtroom told newsmen.
The delay tactics reportedly included health excuses, unreachable witnesses, and repeated adjournments based on flimsy reasons. “Sometimes, Ige Asemudara would claim he is sick or his witness has work. Other times, he just asks for long adjournments,” said another insider.
Shockingly, the judiciary itself was not spared from complicity allegations. A source revealed that the presiding judge initially delayed hearing the bail applications, claiming she wanted to listen to some of the prosecution’s evidence first to determine the nature of the charges.
“When the case started in 2019, they all applied for bail,” the source said. “But the judge told their lawyers to wait so she could hear some evidence. After that, she shockingly denied bail, saying the offences were capital and therefore not bailable.”
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State High Court has denied any involvement in the delays, recently restating its commitment to speedy justice and dismissing reports of suspects’ trials being delayed.
The court, in a reaction to reports that alleged that the trial of 15 domestic workers facing trial for burglary and theft of jewellery, was being delayed, said the claim was false.
It claimed that, according to available records, the matter had suffered delays due to multiple defence lawyers who must cross-examine witnesses, which had slowed down proceedings. It added that the case had also suffered several adjournments at the instance of counsel.
The delays have left the defence team and families of the detainees stunned, particularly since the prosecution reportedly failed to produce any convincing evidence to support the capital charges.
The affected persons are 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.
They have remained behind bars without justice, caught in the web of power, influence, and a compromised legal process.
With the court finally conceding to an accelerated hearing, hope has once again sparked for the victims of this legal nightmare.
