According to a source, 15 of the former First Lady Patience Jonathan’s domestic staff members have been detained at the Okaka Correctional Center in Bayelsa State since 2019 on unsubstantiated theft charges.
Due to the constantly postponed trial, which was purportedly ordered by the powerful former First Lady, the workers have apparently languished behind prison without a judicial conviction.
An alleged robbery case involving Patience Jonathan’s valuables has reportedly resulted in the staff members’ incarceration without a fair trial.
Despite the years that have gone by, the workers are still in jail since their trial has been repeatedly postponed, allegedly at Jonathan’s direct direction, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Sahara Reporters.
A source claimed that since 2019, former First Lady Patience Jonathan has imprisoned roughly 16 of her domestic workers in Okaka Prison on charges of stealing her jewelry without first enabling a court of competent jurisdiction to trial and sentence them.
According to the sources, the judge who is currently presiding over the case has been putting things off, purportedly because she is under the sway of Patience Jonathan. According to one informant, “TECH4JUSTICE was able to provide legal services for them a few years ago, and they have been doing so ever since.” However, on Patience Jonathan’s orders, the current Chief Judge has been purposefully prolonging the case ever since she joined the team. A stooge of the former First Lady, she is.
Exclusive images of 12 of the workers, who have been behind bars for almost six years, were made available to SaharaReporters. The images depict people who have reportedly had their rights violated and had their trials repeatedly delayed.
William Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Sunday Reginald, Vivian Golden, and Emeka Benson are among the employees seen in the photo.
Boma Oba, Salomi Wareboka, and Sahabi Lima, three of the workers who were held, were not included in the report’s photo.
Check out their photos below:
