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.
The 15 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, SaharaReporters has learnt.
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 told SaharaReporters on 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 allegedly acting under the direct influence of Mrs. Jonathan.
According to a source who witnessed proceedings, the first defendant, Vivian Golden, testified that she was arrested on June 23, 2019, and passed between various police stations before landing at the now-notorious Operation Puff Adder unit, where her ordeal worsened.
“She was hung and beaten seriously by police officers just because they wanted her to admit to an offence she didn’t commit. They were paid by the complainant, Patience Jonathan, to do so,” the source told SaharaReporters.
Golden’s disturbing account was corroborated by fellow defendants Vincent Olabiyi, Emmanuel Aginwa, and Tamunosiki Achese, who also told the court how they were subjected to physical torture and coerced into signing pre-written confessions.
“They were brutalised by O.C. Chris and his officers. They were hung upside down, sustained machete wounds, and were threatened with indefinite detention by C.S.O. Colin’s Otutu,” the witness recounted.
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.
Sources insist that the prolonged detention and snail-paced trial have been deliberately orchestrated by Mrs. Jonathan’s legal team, led by Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba.
The 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 deployed by the former First Lady.
“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 SaharaReporters’ investigation and the 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.
