By Peter Omopo
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has attributed the prolonged delay in the trial of 13 domestic staff of former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to legal and procedural challenges linked to the gravity of the charges.
The domestic staff, who have been held at the Okaka Correctional Centre in Yenagoa since 2019, are facing charges reportedly carrying capital punishment.
Speaking during a press briefing on Monday ahead of the 2025 Law Week in Yenagoa, the chairman of the NBA’s Yenagoa branch, Somina Johnbull, explained that the sensitive nature of the case requires the full presence of all counsels involved before proceedings can continue — a condition that has consistently not been met.
“All the 13 defendants have different legal representatives. In a matter as serious as this, proceedings cannot go on unless every lawyer is present. That has been the main obstacle,” Johnbull stated.
He expressed surprise that the trial has dragged on for so long, despite the availability of modern judicial infrastructure in Bayelsa State, including electronic recording systems.
This year’s Law Week, themed ‘Setting the Pace: Law, Leadership and Transformational Development’, is expected to feature a keynote address by former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday, May 16.
