Agboje Chuks
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa branch, Bayelsa State, has expressed shock over the lengthy trial and continued detention of 13 former domestic workers of former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. These individuals have been held at the Okaka Correctional Centre in Bayelsa State since 2019.
Speaking on Monday during a press briefing ahead of the 2025 Law Week, NBA Chairman Somina Johnbull described the situation as “strange” and unacceptable for a state with modern judicial infrastructure.
“This is a case that we have found somewhat strange,” Johnbull told journalists. “In Bayelsa, without sounding immodest, it is very strange for any matter to last beyond three or four years because of the facilities that have been provided – the e-recording system and all. And so, we find it strange, and then we investigated it.”
He explained that the capital punishment case requires the presence of all defense counsels, and repeated absences of one or more lawyers have caused years of delays. “We had a situation where there were 13 defendants, each with their own lawyer. Any day that even one lawyer doesn’t come to court, the case cannot proceed,” he stated.
Johnbull clarified that the court is not to blame. “We spoke with all the lawyers, and the fault isn’t from the court. Our records show that the court has always been ready to hear the matter.”
He further revealed that in April, the presiding judge offered to recuse themselves due to increased public attention, but the defendants rejected the offer, expressing their continued confidence in the court.
The NBA chairman’s comments were made during a media briefing for the upcoming Law Week, themed ‘Setting the Pace: Law, Leadership and Transformational Development’, which will feature former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the keynote speaker on May 16.
