Newly Wed Among Domestic Staff Arrested Since 2019 For Patience Jonathan’s Missing Jewelry

In a stunning revelation, 15 domestic staff, with one newly wed woman who had stopped working with the former First Lady Patience Jonathan in 2018, were arrested since 2019 inside Bayelsa State’s Okaka Correctional Centre.

They were e accused of stealing over ₦300 million worth of jewelry from Jonathan’s residence. The detainees, who were said to be working when they were accused of theft, were held without trial for nearly six years and subjected to harsh treatment and torture.

Such domestic workers were described by sources as having been subjected to extreme brutality in the form of physical ill-treatment including beating with whips, sticks, as well as even machetes. One of the victims, who was a detainee worker, accused Patience Jonathan herself of personally orchestrating and actively participating in their abuse, even stabbing them using her stiletto heels.

According to reports, the abuse is said to have occurred after employees were accused of conspiring to steal luxury items, including expensive jewelry, from Jonathan’s house.

The detainees have neither been charged nor convicted, and their trial reportedly has been pending for years. It is reportedly that the judicial process was deliberately delayed, maybe because of interference and pressure from Patience Jonathan herself.

Despite the lengthy detention, no reason has yet been provided for the delay in bringing the case to trial or for securing the release of the workers.

This has been preceded by a similar scenario in 2019, when four of Patience Jonathan’s relatives were arrested on charges of burglary and theft of goods, including jewelry, from the ex-President’s residence in Otuoke, Bayelsa State. Among those accused of burgling the residence and making away with items like personalized walking sticks, worth an estimated ₦300 million, were two of Patience Jonathan’s brothers and two female relatives.

These accounts are very serious about the treatment of family members and domestic workers in the Jonathan household, pointing to possible human rights abuses and violations of the rule of law.

Human rights organizations have responded with outrage at the extended detention without trial and allegations of torture, urging the authorities to investigate the matter and bring to book those individuals responsible for these abuses.

With the case still in progress, numerous people are asking how legal and ethical standards are to be maintained when high-profile figures like Patience Jonathan are accused of attempting to influence court proceedings and also treating employees that way.

The current ordeal of the detained domestic staff is a grim reminder that there needs to be more transparency and accountability involved in the dealing of legal cases, especially where they involve high-ranking political individuals.