CHIKUN/KAJURU REP, HON. FIDELIX BAGUDU, ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS TO STRENGTHEN INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE. (PHOTO).
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has called on former First Lady Patience Jonathan to discontinue a prolonged legal case against 15 of her former domestic staff accused of stealing jewellery, following the death of one defendant in custody. The plea was made in an open letter posted on Adeyanju’s X handle on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 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.”
Adeyanju revealed that Sahabi Liman, one of the accused, fell seriously ill while detained at the Okaka Custodial Centre in Bayelsa State and has since died. He described the death as a stark reminder that “justice delayed so severely becomes no justice at all,” highlighting the heavy toll the prolonged detention has taken on the defendants and their families.
The 15 former aides, including 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 the late Sahabi Liman, were arrested in 2019. They face charges of stealing seven gold bangles, jewellery, five Samsung air conditioners, two sets of upholstery chairs, and six Samsung flat-screen televisions valued at N200 million. The case, ongoing in the High Court of Bayelsa, has yet to be resolved.
In his letter, Adeyanju argued that the case has extended beyond the issue of stolen jewellery, with the accused enduring excessive suffering. “Even if they had been found guilty, they would not have spent this long behind bars for such an offence,” he wrote, adding that if the defendants are innocent, their prolonged detention represents an unjust ordeal. He urged Jonathan, as a “mother figure in our nation,” to show compassion and discontinue the case to allow the former staff to rebuild their lives.
The matter remains before the court, with no resolution yet reached..
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