Rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has appealed to former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to intervene in the prolonged trial of her former domestic workers, following the reported death of one of them in custody.
In an open letter shared on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, Adeyanju revealed that the deceased, identified as Sahabi Liman, was among 15 former staff members of Mrs Jonathan arrested in 2019 over allegations of missing jewellery.
According to him, the workers have remained entangled in court proceedings for more than five years without conclusion.
He lamented that despite the seriousness of the case, justice has been delayed to the point of injustice.
“One of them, Sahabi Liman, fell seriously ill in prison and has now died,” Adeyanju wrote. “That death is a reminder that justice delayed so severely becomes no justice at all.”
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The activist stressed that the prolonged incarceration of the suspects, even without conviction, far outweighed the punishment the alleged offence could attract.
He urged Mrs Jonathan to discontinue the case as a gesture of fairness and compassion.
“This is no longer about the stolen jewellery,” he added, “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 offence.”
Adeyanju called on the former First Lady to show mercy, describing her as a “mother figure” whose decision could allow the remaining workers a chance to rebuild their lives.