Fifteen domestic workers of former First Lady Patience Jonathan, who were accused of theft and detained in 2019, are set to appear in court on Thursday.
Many Nigerians were enraged by what they described as “abuse of power and disregard for justice” when the news of the slow pace of their trial emerged on April 3.
Earlier reports, such as this and this, state that the domestic workers — 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 Sahabi Lima — were locked up in Okaka Correctional Centre, Bayelsa State.
They were accused of stealing seven gold bangles and jewellery, five Samsung air conditioners, two sets of upholstery chairs and six Samsung flat-screen televisions valued at N200 million.
On Monday, the media learnt from Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice (Tech4Justice), the legal firm that has been providing free legal support to nine of the detained workers since 2022, that the case will come up on Thursday at the Bayelsa State High Court 1.
The charge sheet obtained from Tech4Justice shows that there are 18 counts against them, ranging from conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery to burglary.
The media understands that the various offences were alleged to have occurred between 2018 and 2019.
One of the firm’s legal associates, who did not want to be named, revealed that the organisation was not against the prosecution of the domestic workers if there were valid charges against them.
“All we want is a timely and fair trial,” said the source.
According to Tech4Justice, the case has dragged on for over five years due to the generally slow pace of Nigeria’s criminal justice system, including issues such as court congestion, inadequate legal representation and delays.
While the source suspects that political influence may be contributing to the delay in this case, they called for accountability from all parties involved, including the judge, lawyers and prosecutors.
“They have been charged, but the trial has experienced a slow pace. The systematic slow pace of administration and criminal justice in Nigeria is to blame partially. And those involved often fail to prosecute cases diligently. For this particular matter, the trial has been ongoing for over five years,” the source explained.
“I want to believe the political weight and influence of the complainant may also be a contributory factor, coupled with the slow pace of the administration of justice. So, everything just comes together to not be in favour of the defendants.
“All we want is that instead of holding them in detention for that long, grant them bail. If you can’t grant them bail, ensure an accelerated hearing. We want everyone involved to be accountable and give the matter the speedy trial it deserves.”
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