The Bayelsa state branch of The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has denied detaining 15 former staff of Dame Patience Jonathan, the former First Lady. In a statement issued on Sunday, April 6, the spokesperson of Okaka Custodian Center Isari Gbosi Tombara, said that the reports were aimed at tarnishing the image of the center.
A Legal advocacy group Tech4Justice had claimed that the detainees had spent six years in custody without conviction due to prolonged judicial delays and interference
The 15 ex- staff of The former First Lady were charged with theft and conspiracy to murder, accused of stealing jewellery and luxury items worth hundreds of millions. According to Tech4Justice, a Human Rights Group, over 40 court adjournments and the absence of key witnesses is keeping the defendants in the center, they are calling for justice for the inmates as efforts at securing bails for them are frustrated.
NCoS insists rights of ex-staff not infringed upon , in a statement by the center’s spokesman, Tombara, he insisted that the inmates were legally remanded by competent courts and had not been denied their fundamental rights:
“They were in court on the 10th and 11th of March 2025, and the last time they attended court was Thursday, 3rd April 2025, where the matter was adjourned to the 17th of April 2025. The said inmates have also been treated fairly and humanely while in custody, and their fundamental human rights are respected.” The Spokesman stated, emphasizing that no inmate can be held without a valid remand warrant, he noted that the Okaka facility remains one of the most peaceful in the country.
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