Osun Court Announces Date To Deliver Judgement On OAU Student’s Murder

Osun State Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo, will on Tuesday, May 30, deliver judgement on the alleged murder of ex-Masters student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke.

A hotel owner, Dr. Ramon Adedoyin and six of the staff working with the Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, had been standing trial on 18 counts that include murder, conspiracy and interference with a corpse, following the death of Adegoke, who allegedly lodged in the hotel facility on November 5, 2021, but was found dead the next day.

Apart from Adedoyin, other co-defendants in the matter include; Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola.

The parties in the matter adopted their final written addresses and argued their cases before the court on Thursday, April 27.

At the sitting, after adopting his final written address filed on April 13, counsel to Adedoyin, the 1st defendant in the matter, Mr. Yusuf Alli, SAN, said there was no link between his client and the death of the late Adegoke, beyond the fact that the hotel, where the late OAU student died, belongs to the first defendant.

Alli, who insisted that there was no vicarious liability in law, said the charges pressed against his client and other defendants were based on suspicion and asked the court to discharge and acquit them.

In their separate submissions after adopting their final written addresses, replies on point of law and affidavits, counsel to 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants, Muritala Abdulrosheed, SAN, counsel to 3rd and 6th defendants, Dr. Rowland Otaru, SAN, and the lawyer representing the 7th defendant, Okon Ita, all asked the court to discharge their clients, as there were no compelling facts linking them to the crime.

But the prosecutor, Femi Falana, who adopted his final written address filed on March 29, 2023, recalled how Adegoke died and his body dumped in the bush, as well as the efforts made to hide the crime from the authorities by those involved after the oath of secrecy was administered on them.

Falana insisted that based on the evidence led before the court, the defendants, if found guilty should get a judgement commensurate to their level of involvement.

The court subsequently adjourned for judgement, which Justice Ojo said would be delivered before the end of May.

Besides the judgement on the main case, the court is also expected to rule on the issue of fiat to prosecute the case by Femi Falana, which the defence counsel were also challenging.

The prosecution counsel, Fatimoh Adesina, during an interview with Punch on Thursday, said the parties would return to court on Tuesday for judgement on the matter.

Adesina said, “It is Tuesday. We are going to court on Tuesday for the judgement.”

Punch