*Dismisses ‘no case submission’ by Hilton Hotel owner, 7 other defendants
The Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo, on Wednesday, dismissed a ‘no case submission’ filed by the lawyers to the owner of Hilton Hotel and Resorts in Ile-Ife, Rahman Adedoyin and seven others.
The Osun CJ also held that Adedoyin had a case to answer as a prima facie case has been established against him and other defendants.
The court further held that other defendants have a case to answer.
Adedoyin and seven defendants are facing trial in the murder case of Timothy Adegoke, an MBA student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
The court ruled that the suspects has a case to answer.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday at the Osun State High Court in Osogbo, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr M.O. Omosun, urged the court to dismiss the ‘no case submission’ by the defendants on the grounds that a prima facie case had been established against them, based on all evidence presented before the court.
Delivering her ruling on Adedoyin and seven other defendants’ applications, Justice Adepele Ojo considered all exhibits presented by all witnesses and admitted in evidence by the court, saying that a prima facie does not mean that the prosecuting lawyer must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The CJ further held that the prosecution was able to establish a prima facie through all the witnesses, that Timothy Adegoke lodged at the Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Ile-Ife and that his body was interfered with and disrespectfully evacuated.
Justice Ojo then dismissed the ‘no case submission’ by the lawyers to the defendants and ordered them to enter their defence.
Responding to the verdict, one of the defence lawyers, Kehinde Eleja (SAN), told the court that they were not ready to file their defence since they were not sure of the ruling.
He then urged the court to give them time to prepare their defence.
Justice Ojo thereafter adjourned further hearing on the matter till April 25.
Adedoyin is the owner of the Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Ile-Ife where Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State, was reportedly killed.
Timothy, an Abuja-based student, had travelled to Ife on November 5 to take an examination at the school’s distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State.
The Nigeria Police further disclosed that a case of a missing person was reported two days later at the Edun Abon Police Station and later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
But his body was said to have been later found buried by the hotel management in a shallow grave without the knowledge of his family or the police.
Adedoyin was consequently charged with an attempted felony, conspiracy, unlawful interference with Adegoke’s corpse, tampering with the hotel’s receipt and CCTV camera with the intent to destroy evidence that would prove that the victim visited the hotel.
Other defendants on trial with Adedoyin are Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwale Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle, and others at large.
