Dare Babalola
Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has appealed to Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan to discontinue the trial of her former domestic staff accused of stealing jewellery.
In an open letter he wrote on his social media pages on Tuesday, the lawyer recalled that one of the accused died in prison custody.
He stressed the consequences of prolonged pre-trial detention, saying that the five-year trial has inflicted undue suffering on the 15 accused persons.
Furthermore, Adeyanju argued that the case has shifted beyond the issue of the missing jewelry and has become a matter of human rights, justice, and compassion.
He maintained that even if the workers had been found guilty, they would not have spent this long behind bars for such an offence.
“For more than five years now, fifteen of your former domestic staff have been standing trial over allegations of missing jewellery. They were arrested in 2019, kept in custody, and have since been dragged through the courts without resolution. Along the way, one of them, Sahabi Liman, fell seriously ill in prison and has now died.
“That death is a reminder that justice delayed so severely becomes no justice at all. It should also make us look again at the entire case and the toll it has taken on all involved.
“This is no longer about the stolen jewelry, but about people who have been locked up and suffering for too long. Even if they had been found guilty, they would not have spent this long behind bars for such an offense. And if they are innocent, then we have all watched them suffer for nothing.
“Punishment must have proportion, and what is happening here is far beyond proportion.
“I therefore appeal to you as a mother figure in our nation to discontinue this case as an act of fairness, to let compassion guide your decision and allow these ex-workers a chance to rebuild their lives.”
