The Bayelsa State High Court has admitted the confessions of domestic workers accused of stealing jewellery from former First Lady Patience Jonathan, despite repeated allegations that the statements were obtained through torture.

The case, which began in 2019, resumed in July 2025, with cross-examinations of four defendants—Golden Vivian, Vincent Olabiyi, Tamunosiki Achese, and Emmanuel Aginwa—who detailed harrowing accounts of abuse by officers of the notorious Operation Puff Adder unit of the Nigeria Police Force.

Sources familiar with the case, speaking to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the court accepted the confessional evidence even as the accused insisted their confessions were coerced.

“The court refused to listen to the accused persons, who repeatedly stated that they were wrongly accused and that the confessions were extracted under duress,” a source said. The judge reportedly deemed their claims of torture insincere.

Legal observers have raised concerns that relying on confessions allegedly obtained through coercion is fundamentally unfair. One source remarked, “If the court proceeds to use these controversial confessions, it would be highly unjust.”

The case has been adjourned to January 2026 for further hearings.

Previously, in July 2025, the defendants testified about being suspended, beaten, and forced to sign confessions, with specific officers, including an “O.C. Chris” and Chief Security Officer Colin Otutu, named in the alleged abuses. Despite these claims, no police officer has been investigated or charged, and the trial has faced repeated delays, with defendants held in detention at the Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa, for over five years without bail.

The accused—15 in total—include Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Sahabi Liman, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Salomi Wareboka, Sunday Reginald, Boma Oba, Vivian Golden, and Emeka Benson. They were charged with stealing jewellery reportedly worth hundreds of millions of naira.

Tragically, one former domestic worker, Sahabi Liman, died after a prolonged illness, having been on bail for three years following deteriorating health during detention. His son recounted that Liman’s condition worsened before he eventually passed away at a hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The case continues to attract scrutiny, with many noting the alleged stalling tactics by Patience Jonathan’s legal team and the apparent disregard for credible evidence of abuse.