Drama In Court: Death Strikes Patience Jonathan’s Aide Amid Jewellery Theft Saga

One of the 15 domestic staff of former Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan, who had been facing trial for more than five years over allegations of jewellery theft, has died after a long battle with illness.

The deceased, identified as Sahabi Liman, had been on bail for the past three years due to worsening health conditions he developed while in custody at the Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa.

Confirming his death, a prison officer told Sahara Reporters:

“One of Patience Jonathan’s workers, Sahabi Liman, who was on bail, has passed away. It was the same sickness he had been struggling with before his release.”

Liman’s son revealed that his father’s condition relapsed before he passed away in a hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He recounted:

“My father was granted bail about three years ago to treat himself. At first, he was recovering, but he was taken back to the hospital a few weeks ago, and that was where he died. I was with him on Friday night until about 9pm, and by midnight, we got a call that he had passed away. He was about 45 years old and has since been buried in Port Harcourt according to Islamic rites.”

A family source attributed Liman’s death to the harsh conditions he endured during detention, saying his health began to deteriorate in prison.

“At first, they refused him bail, but when it became clear he might not survive, Madam asked the prison officers to release him to his family.”

Liman’s death comes just days before the Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa is expected to deliver a crucial ruling on September 24, 2025, which could determine the fate of the remaining 14 domestic staff still standing trial.

The workers, arrested in 2019, were accused of stealing jewellery reportedly worth hundreds of millions of naira. They have consistently denied the charges, claiming police operatives forced confessions from them through torture.

During previous hearings, some defendants, including Golden Vivian and Tamunosiki Achese, testified that they were suspended, flogged until collapse, and brutalised by a police officer identified as O.C. Chris and Mrs Jonathan’s Chief Security Officer, Colin Otutu.

The court is set to rule on the admissibility of the contested confessional statements after a “trial within a trial,” with defence lawyers arguing that the documents were obtained under duress.

Mrs Jonathan’s legal team, led by Ige Asemudara and Samuel Chinedu Maduba, has meanwhile faced criticism for allegedly dragging the case with delay tactics and frivolous motions.

Now in its sixth year, the trial remains stalled, leaving the remaining defendants in prolonged detention at Okaka Correctional Centre.