The Police at Force headquarters on Tuesday night disclosed the Murder case it instituted against the owner of Hotel and Resorts, Ile Ife, Ramon Adedoyin over the murder of OAU MBA Student, Timothy Adegoke, was done in order to allow Adedoyin’s re-arraignment in Osun state where the incident occurred.
It would be recalled that Adegoke, an Obafemi Awolowo University Postgraduate Student, was murdered in his hotel room in Osun.
Adegoke had lodged at Hilton Hotels and Resorts in Ile-Ife, Osun State upon his arrival from Abuja on November 5, 2021, to enable him to arrive early for his examination at the OAU Distance Learning Centre, Moro, in the state, on November 6th and 7th 2021.
He later went missing and was found dead buried in a shallow grave following an investigation by the Police, with the hotel owner, Dr Rahman Adedoyin and its workers arrested as suspects.
The Intelligence Response Team, which is under the Force Criminal Investigations Department subsequently took over the investigation and on completion arraigned the suspects at the jurisdiction of the FCT.
However, following an application by lawyers of the family of the murdered Adegoke that the case is transferred to Osun state where the crime was committed, the Force headquarters agreed and withdrew from the case.
A senior officer at Force headquarters who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said, both the FCT High Court and the Osun State Court where the suspects are to be re-arraigned are of equal jurisdiction and that the investigation findings/report of IRT will still suffice, so there is no cause for apprehension.
“The application for re-arraignment of the suspects in Osun State is the reason the case was withdrawn from FCT. It is in order”
This comes after Justice Module Adebiyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, had on Tuesday struck out the case against Adedoyin and others following an application for a notice of discontinuance of the case pursuant to Section 108 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 by Police Lawyer, Ochogwu Ogbeh.
The Police in the earlier case of summary and proof of evidence it filed, said, Adedoyin is being charged with illegally disposing of Adegoke’s body, altering and cancelling his payment receipt and removal of the hotel’s CCTV cameras with intent to destroy evidence.
In its ‘Notice of Discontinuation of Charge No.CR/015/2022 brought pursuant to Section 108 of Administration of Criminal Act 2015’, on Monday, February 7, 2022, the police told the court to discontinue the matter.
It said through its lawyer, Ochogwu Ogbeh of the Legal and Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, “Take notice that the complainant discontinues all of the proceedings in this case against the above-named defendants for further investigation”.
Others charged with the hotel owner are Adedeji Adesola, 23; Magdalene Chiefuna, 24; Adeniyi Aderogba, 37; Oluwale Lawrence, 37; Oyetunde Kazeem, 38; Adebayo Kunle, 35, and others still at large.
Moreso, the family of Timothy Adegoke, has hired human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), to get justice for the family over the gruesome death of their son.
In a letter dated February 3 and co-signed by the deceased’s father, Moses; the deceased’s brother, Olugbade; and the deceased’s wife, Victoria, the family insisted that the killers of Timothy must be brought to book.
The letter titled, ‘Appointment as our family lawyer’, partly read, “We the family of Moses Adegoke have decided to appoint you as our family lawyer, to demand justice on our late son, Timothy Adegoke, who was murdered at Hilton Hotel and Resorts, Ile Ife.
“We have full confidence in your expertise and professionalism and hope to get justice on the case.”
Reacting, Falana of Falana and Falana’s Chamber, said, “We have accepted the instructions of the bereaved Adegoke Family.
“We shall handle the case pro bono publico and ensure that justice is served.”
