Court Admits Contested Confessions In Jonathan Aides’ Jewellery Theft Trial

A Bayelsa State High Court has admitted into evidence the confessional statements of eight domestic workers of former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, in the long‑running trial over the alleged theft of jewellery worth hundreds of millions of naira, despite grave allegations that the confessions were extracted under torture.

Naijaonpoint reports that the development comes after the court conducted a “trial within a trial” to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made by the accused.

Sources who witnessed Friday’s proceedings told SaharaReporters that the prosecution, after six years of delays, finally closed its case.

“Finally, they have closed their prosecution after six years. We are into direct defence now,” one family member said.

But the source expressed shock that the court admitted the disputed confessions despite testimony that they were obtained under duress while the suspects were in police custody.

“The most surprising aspect of this trial is that the court admitted the confessional statements forcefully obtained from the eight defendants. … The police beat and tortured them. Some of these statements were even written by the police officers in 2019, and they were forced to sign them,” the source said.

According to the source, the prosecution wasted a lot of court time and deliberately delayed their case for six years, only concluding their evidence last Friday.

“Now, the defendants will open their cases too at the next adjourned date,” the family member added.

The eight defendants are part of a larger group of 15 domestic staff accused of stealing jewellery from Mrs Jonathan’s residence in 2019. The number of co‑accused was reduced following the death of Sahabi Liman in 2025.

Those now standing trial include Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Salomi Wareboka, Sunday Reginald, Boma Oba, Vivian Golden, and Emeka Benson.

Despite repeated adjournments, the trial has been marked by stalled proceedings and frequently skipped court sessions, including long periods when no hearings took place.

Accusations Of Torture, No Police Held Accountable

During earlier court sessions, several defendants testified they were abducted, tortured, and denied access to legal counsel while in detention.

In one testimony, Golden Vivian said she was suspended and flogged after refusing to sign a confession.

Other defendants identified a police officer known as “O.C. Chris” and a Chief Security Officer, Colin Otutu, as central to the alleged torture.

Despite these serious allegations and what the defendants described as credible evidence of abuse, SaharaReporters found no police officer has been charged or investigated in connection with the alleged torture.

Meanwhile, Mrs Jonathan has not been summoned or questioned over the matter.

Defence sources have accused the former First Lady’s legal team, led by Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba, of deliberately stalling the proceedings through procedural motions and delays.

The prolonged prosecution has already had a fatal consequence. In September 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Sahabi Liman, one of the original 15 accused, died after a prolonged illness.

Liman, who was arrested in 2019, had been granted bail three years earlier due to deteriorating health while in custody at Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa. His son told SaharaReporters that his condition continued to worsen even after release, and he eventually died in a hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.