Two years after a Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke was murdered at a hotel, three people have been sentenced to death for his murder.
The owner of Hilton hotel, Rahmon Adedoyin, and two members of his staff have been found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging while the judgement of one other staff has been suspended.
The Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Oyebola Ojo, while her delivering judgment on Tuesday, said circumstantial evidence tendered against Adedoyin showed that he and some staff members at his hotel were responsible for Adegoke’s death.
Recall that Adegoke died mysteriously at Hilton Hotels, Ile-Ife in 2021 and the owner of the hotel, Dr. Adedoyin alongside six of his staff namely, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola.
The matter was being prosecuted by the police before it was transferred to the Ministry of Justice, Osun State, and later transferred to an independent prosecutor, Femi Falana, SAN in 2022.
They were charged with 18 counts of conspiracy, murder, felony, indecent interference of the corpse, alteration, and cancellation of receipt and oath-taking to prevent justice.
The prosecuting counsel, Femi Falana, SAN told the court that the defendants committed the offense as charged.
But the defence counsel led by Yusuf Alli, SAN, insisted before the court that there is no evidence that his clients murdered Adegoke.
He also tackled Falana, saying the senior advocate did not obtain the fiat to prosecute the matter before Chief Justice of Osun, Justice Oyebola Ojo.
Justice Ojo had reserved her judgment for today on the fiat and the charge leveled against the hotel owner, Dr Adedoyin and his six staff.
At the court today, there was heavy presence of policemen who are manning the entrance of court and screening everybody going inside.
Similarly, policemen manned different strategic places inside the court premises while some manned the entrance of the courtroom.
