Receptionist Explains How Adedoyin, Fleeing Son Made Her Sign Fake Receipt For Late Timothy Adegoke

—Maintains Adedoyin, Son Visited Hotel The Night Adegoke Died

The receptionist who was on duty on November 5, 2021, at Hilton Honours Hotel, Ile-Ife when the late Master student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Timothy Adegoke lodged into the facility, Adesola Adedeji, has narrated how the hotel owner, Rahman Adedoyin and his fleeing son, Roheem, asked her to sign another receipt with an unknown name and present it to the police as the one for the deceased.

Adedoyin and six of his workers including Adedeji, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Florence, Oyetunde Kazeem and Adebayo Kunle have been standing trial for alleged murder of Adegoke.

Adedeji, the seventh defendant, appeared as a witness before the Osun State High Court in Osogbo, on Friday and said she was the receptionist who received Adegoke and lodged him into a room, adding that she left the hotel the next day, November 6, 2021 and handed over to another receptionist, Magdalene Chiefuna.

She added that she was later invited to Adedoyin’s house for a meeting over alleged irregularities in her audit on November 5, 2021.

While being led in evidence by her counsel, Okon Edet Ita, the witness disclosed that at the hotelier’s house, she was ordered to sign a plain receipt with an unknown name, claiming that she did not know it was as a result of Adegoke’s death.

“I was the receptionist at the Hilton Honours Hotel who accepted Timothy Adegoke, who was the first guest for the day. I didn’t unlawfully kill Timothy Adegoke. On 5th November, 2021, I was on shift till 6th November. My next duty was on the 9th November 2021.

“I was at Ilesa when Esther Asigwo (colleague) called me that there is a meeting at Rahman Adedoyin’s house. Moshood (another colleague) also called me and told me that I have to be at the meeting because a receipt is missing from the ledgers book and I told him it’s not possible. I told the caller my account was prepared correctly. I asked Esther Asigwo to describe Rahman Adedoyin’s house and she did.

“Roheem Adedoyin was inside his father’s house and he came to me to follow him to another building inside the same compound. I queried him about the receipt he wanted to give me. He said he is only trying to protect me.

“He gave me a different name as Lekan and asked me to sign. I asked him why all this, he said his dad (Adedoyin) is investigating a fraud. He asked me to go back to others in the main building. I didn’t know his major plans though. I met Rahman Adedoyin and he said a receipt is missing from my account. Rahman Adedoyin said he would have transfered money to my account.

“In the course of my statement, Inspector Afeez (the Investigation Police Officer) talked about the money transfered to my account. Afeez presented a different account to me which is totally different from mine. I was shocked seeing a different receipt and told IPO Afeez that this is not the one I prepared and the signature isn’t mine. The money and account I made weren’t corresponding at all.

“I later requested for my phone and Inspector Afeez gave me the phone and I showed him the account on my phone that carries Timothy Adegoke’s name with the correct receipt number. Inspector Afeez asked me who I submitted my account to. This was at the SCID in Osogbo. It was then I heard Adeniyi Aderogba saying the guest (Timothy Adegoke) died in his room.

“Roheem Adedoyin told me he can’t harm me and nobody ever told me anything that happened in the hotel before I discovered on November 12. The number of the receipt they gave me was not the same as the one I prepared,” she said.

During cross-examination by the prosecuting counsel, Femi Falana, the witness said she agreed to fill the receipt and signed it because she was assured that it was for accounting purposes and she wasn’t aware that Adegoke died in his room.

She maintained that Adedoyin and his son visited the hotel on the night the victim was found dead, adding that the CCTV camera at the hotel had been removed when she resumed duty on November 9, 2021.

Other defence counsels including K. K. Eleja, Rowland Otaru, Murtala Adbulrasheed also cross-examined the witness.

Meanwhile, the presiding judge, Justice Adepele Ojo adjourned the case till February 2, 2023 for continuation of hearing.

Source: The Point