A Bayelsa State High Court has instructed that the trial of 15 former domestic workers of Patience Jonathan be fast-tracked after they have spent almost six years in detention at the Okaka Correctional Centre in Yenagoa.
The workers, who were arrested in 2019, are accused of being involved in the disappearance of jewellery belonging to the former First Lady, but they have not been convicted.
The court’s decision came after both the prosecution and defense agreed during a hearing on Thursday to speed up the case, which has been delayed for several years.
The case had been affected by multiple adjournments, with both sides accusing the legal process of being hindered by various tactics.
The workers, who were once part of Mrs. Jonathan’s household staff, have been held without bail since their arrest.
There were accusations that the delays were caused by Mrs. Jonathan’s legal team, who were said to have used strategies like inconsistent testimonies from witnesses and requests for adjournments.
A source claimed that the defense’s actions were aimed at prolonging the case and keeping the workers in prison as long as possible.
At the beginning of the case, the defense applied for bail for the workers, but the presiding judge postponed the hearing to review the prosecution’s evidence and later rejected their bail requests, citing the nature of the charges as capital offenses.
In response to the delays, the Bayelsa State High Court denied any involvement and said that the adjournments were mainly due to the multiple defense lawyers needing time to cross-examine witnesses.
The court added that these delays were also a result of requests for adjournments from the defense team.
The accused include 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.
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