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Court Orders Fast-Tracked Trial Of 15 Workers Held In Prison For 6 Yrs Over Patience Jonathan’s Missing Jewellery

The Bayelsa State High Court has ordered a fast-tracked trial for 15 domestic workers who have spent nearly six years in detention at the Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa, without conviction, over missing jewellery belonging to former First Lady Patience Jonathan.
SaharaReporters gathered that the order came after the prosecution and defence teams reached a rare consensus during Thursday’s proceedings to fast-track the case, which has suffered deliberate and serial delays allegedly masterminded by Patience Jonathan’s private legal team.
“The court proceeded well today, and both parties have agreed to finish the case as soon as possible, with an accelerated hearing. So victory is coming,” a source close to the defence told SaharaReporters.
The 15 accused persons, most of whom were part of Mrs Jonathan’s domestic staff, were arrested in 2019 and have remained in detention without bail, with the case dragging on endlessly for years amid reports of consistent manipulation of court processes.
A previous report by SaharaReporters exposed a pattern of intentional court delays reportedly orchestrated by Mrs Jonathan’s private prosecutors, Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba, both of whom have been consistently representing the former First Lady since 2019.
“The prosecutors are Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba,” one of the sources confirmed.
“One of them comes from Lagos while the second travels in from Port Harcourt. They’ve been handling this case from day one, presenting witnesses who come to tell lies. One witness took almost two years,” a source earlier told SaharaReporters.
Sources alleged that Mrs Jonathan gave direct instructions to delay the proceedings.
“The aim is to frustrate the process and keep these innocent people in prison as long as possible. It’s an abuse of the legal system,” a source close to the courtroom told SaharaReporters.
The delay tactics reportedly included health excuses, unreachable witnesses, and repeated adjournments based on flimsy reasons. “Sometimes, Ige Asemudara would claim he is sick or his witness has work. Other times, he just asks for long adjournments,” said another insider.
Shockingly, the judiciary itself was not spared from complicity allegations. A source revealed that the presiding judge initially delayed hearing the bail applications, claiming she wanted to listen to some of the prosecution’s evidence first to determine the nature of the charges.
“When the case started in 2019, they all applied for bail,” the source said. “But the judge told their lawyers to wait so she could hear some evidence. After that, she shockingly denied bail, saying the offences were capital and therefore not bailable.”
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State High Court has denied any involvement in the delays, recently restating its commitment to speedy justice and dismissing reports of suspects’ trials being delayed.
The court, in a reaction to reports that alleged that the trial of 15 domestic workers facing trial for burglary and theft of jewellery, was being delayed, said the claim was false.
It claimed that, according to available records, the matter had suffered delays due to multiple defence lawyers who must cross-examine witnesses, which had slowed down proceedings. It added that the case had also suffered several adjournments at the instance of counsel.
The delays have left the defence team and families of the detainees stunned, particularly since the prosecution reportedly failed to produce any convincing evidence to support the capital charges.
The affected persons are Williams Alami, Vincent Olabiyi, Ebuka Cosmos, John Dashe, Tamunokuro Abaku, Sahabi Lima, Emmanuel Aginwa, Erema Deborah, Precious Kingsley, Tamunosiki Achese, Salomi Wareboka, Sunday Reginald, Boma Oba, Vivian Golden and Emeka Benson.
They have remained behind bars without justice, caught in the web of power, influence, and a compromised legal process.
With the court finally conceding to an accelerated hearing, hope has once again sparked for the victims of this legal nightmare.
News
Woman bites off manhood of s3x partner over argument

A woman has bitten off her lover’s genitals during a sex argument in Rivers.
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old woman identified as Gift for allegedly biting off the tip of her lover’s penis during a domestic dispute in the Mile 3 area of Diobu, Port Harcourt.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, sent shockwaves through the densely populated Bishop Okoye Street when news of the act emerged.
According to sources, the altercation began when Gift’s lover, identified only as Sunday, requested to have s3x.
Gift reportedly refused, accusing him of using s3x-enhancing drugs that made their encounters excessively prolonged.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Mr. Sunday became angry and allegedly descended on his female partner for her refusal.
“In the process, Gift managed to get hold of the man’s manhood with her mouth and chop off the cap of the penis.”
The man’s screams reportedly drew the attention of neighbours, some of whom attempted to mob the woman before police intervened.
“The cap of the man’s penis was completely bitten off by the woman,” the source added.
Gift was rescued by officers from the Nkpolu Police Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, and taken into custody.
The victim, Sunday, was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in the city for urgent medical attention.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident on Friday.
“Yes, I can confirm the incident. The woman (suspect), aged 43 years, has been arrested and investigation is ongoing,” Iringe-Koko said.
News
INEC Releases Details Of 2025 Anambra Guber Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission has released the personal particulars of candidates for the 2025 Anambra State governorship election.
The publication of the particulars followed the conclusion of party primaries by 16 political parties and the upload of candidates’ nomination forms for the election by the deadline of 6 pm on May 12, 2025, when the dedicated portal automatically shut down.
This was disclosed in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, on Saturday, titled ‘PUBLICATION OF PERSONAL PARTICULARS OF CANDIDATES FOR THE 2025 ANAMBRA STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION’.
The Anambra State governorship election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
The statement read, “Following the conclusion of party primaries, 16 political parties have uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the Anambra State Governorship Election by the deadline of 6 pm on Monday, May 12, 2025, when the dedicated portal automatically shuts down.
“As provided in Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and listed as item 4 on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, the Commission has published the personal particulars of each candidate and his running mate by displaying copies of the Form EC9, along with all the accompanying academic credentials and other documents submitted by them, at our state headquaters and the 21 local government offices across Anambra State.”
INEC called on Nigerians to assess the candidates’ documents.
The candidates documents displayed by INEC
The candidates’ documents displayed by INEC. Credit: INEC/X
It also urged aspirants with reasonable grounds to believe that a candidate provided false information to challenge the nomination of the candidate in court.
It also disclosed that the final list of candidates would be published on June 9, 2025, which is at least 150 days before the election.
This, it said, was in line with the provision of Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.
It said, We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents. Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by a candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“The final list of candidates will be published on June 9, 2025, which is at least 150 days before the day of the election, in line with the provision of Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and listed as item 7 on our Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election.”
News
Alleged $1m, £34,537 Scam: EFCC Presents First Witness, Peter Okoye against Ex-P-Square Manager

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, May 16, 2025, presented its first prosecution witness, PW1, Peter Obumuneme Okoye,( a.k.a Mr P) against Jude Chigozie Okoye, elder brother and former Manager of Paul and Peter Okoye, before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
Okoye is standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd., on a four-count charge bordering on alleged stealing to the tune of $1m and £34,537 .
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mohammed Bashir, the PW1 told the court that his brother’s wife, Ifeoma, owned 80 per cent of Northside Music Ltd, while Jude retained the remaining 20 percent shares.
He said: “ I went to the EFCC with my lawyer to submit the petition on January 22, 2024. I initially wrote Northside Music as the respondent. But upon various investigations carried out by the Commission, it was discovered that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma, is the owner of the company because she owes 80 per cent shares, while Jude retains the remaining 20 per cent.
“I submitted the petition and I never spoke to either Paul or Jude until early April in 2024 when the EFCC asked if my twin brother was involved and I said I did not know.
“The Commission discovered there were over 47 bank accounts used by Jude to receive royalties.”
He also told the court that though both Paul and Jude were later invited by the Commission, the latter was detained.
In his further evidence, he said: “Jude never denied that he committed the crime. However, my twin brother told me during a meeting at the EFCC office that our elder brother owns P-Square.
“Paul told me Jude owns 40 per cent, while the two of us owe 30 per cent each.
“Ifeoma was never part of our engagement and I was not aware when Northside Music was registered.
“Northside Music, according to my findings, was registered in 2015 and had been operating illegally two years prior to our break-up.”
The prosecution, thereafter, sought to tender the petition dated January 22, 2024.
There was no objection to its admissibility by the lead counsel to the defendants, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN.
Earlier in the proceedings, the witness had told the court that he and his twin brother, Paul, started their music career in 1999.
He had also told the court that between 2005 and 2006, they floated a company, Northside Entertainment Ltd, where they were directors and shareholders.
He, however, said Jude was the sole signatory to the company’s three accounts domiciled in Eco Bank, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Zenith Bank.
“ They were both Naira and Dollar accounts and Jude was the sole manager of all the accounts.
“In September 2017, P-Square broke up and we came back together in November 2021.
“Within the period, I never received any royalty paid into our company.
“Before we broke up in 2017, every royalty was being paid into Northside Entertainment Ltd., where the three of us were shareholders.
“We have two aggregators (streaming platforms that generate income): I-rocking.com and Free me digital, which I was aware of.
“When people play our songs on their mobile phones, it generates income: and so, we receive funds from these two aggregators prior to our split.”
The PW1, who said he went solo as Mr P after the group broke up and got a different manager, further told court that “ When we got back without him being our manager, I discovered a similar company was run by our brother known as Northside Music.
“I started seeing some discrepancies in the way royalties were sent to me and my twin brother . When I went for a tour in London, some individual approached us if we would like to sell our catalogs, but they needed to see the back-end.
“After so much attempt to get the back-end from Jude, I discovered that he had tampered with the original one, which made over seven companies to have a rethink of purchasing the catalogs.”
The case was adjourned till May 23 for continuation of trial.
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