Human Rights Lawyer Urges Former Petience Jonathan to Drop Case After Defendant’s Death in Custody

Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has written an open letter to former First Lady Patience Jonathan, urging her to discontinue the prolonged trial of fifteen former domestic staff. The workers have been detained since 2019 over allegations of stealing jewellery from the former First Lady. Adeyanju’s appeal follows the death of one defendant, Sahabi Liman, who fell seriously ill while in prison custody in Bayelsa and died before the case concluded .

In his letter, Adeyanju described Liman’s death as a stark reminder of the consequences of extended pre-trial detention. He emphasized that the five-year trial has caused undue suffering to the accused individuals. The lawyer argued that justice delayed in this manner effectively becomes justice denied, and he called on Mrs. Jonathan to act with compassion by ending the case .

The case has faced numerous delays, with reports indicating it has been adjourned over forty times since it began. The defendants have been held at the Okaka Correctional Centre in Yenagoa throughout this period. Adeyanju noted that even if found guilty, the workers would unlikely have received sentences longer than their time already served in detention .

Adeyanju appealed to the former First Lady as a “mother figure” to withdraw the case in the interest of fairness. He asked her to allow the former staff members an opportunity to rebuild their lives after their lengthy ordeal. The lawyer stressed that the situation had transcended the original allegations to become a matter of fundamental human rights and proportional justice .