An Osun State High Court on Tuesday in Osogbo sentenced the owner of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Rahman Adedoyin, to death by hanging over the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
Delivering judgment, Justice Adepele Ojo also sentenced Kazeem Oyetunde and Adeniyi Aderogba to death by hanging for their involvement in the killing of Adegoke.
Mrs Fatima Adebayo, the defence counsel from Femi Falana Chambers, urged the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the seventh defendant, Adedeji Adesola.
The court adjourned until May 31, for the sentencing of Adesola.
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It was learnt that three other defendants: Magdalene Chiefuna, Oluwale Lawrence and Kunle Adebayo, were discharged and acquitted.
The judge said that Adedoyin was found guilty on counts 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 15 bothering on conspiracy to murder, unlawful killing of Timothy Adegoke and also disposing and tampering with his corpse.
Ojo also ordered that the Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, be closed and forfeited to the state government.
She further said that the children of the deceased should be placed on scholarship until their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the bills should paid by the Estate of Rahman Adedoyin.
She added that the son of the hotel owner be placed on police and Interpol watch until he was apprehended and brought to face trial, Raheem Adedoyin.
Earlier, the State Prosecution Counsel, Mr M. Omosun, told the court that the defendants committed the offences sometimes between November 5, 2021, and November 7, 2021, in Ile-Ife.
Omosun said that the defendants, with others at large, conspired to kill Timothy Adegoke for unjust reasons.
He said, “They also altered and cancelled receipt number 9316 which indicates that Timothy Adegoke lodged in Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife.
“The body of the deceased, his laptop, phones and his other belongings were dumped at an undisclosed place by the defendants to cover up their activities after he was murdered.”
The prosecution counsel said that the offences committed contravened Sections 324, 306, 315, 509, 516, 519, 242 and 106 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol 11, Laws of Osun, 2004.
It was learnt that Adegoke left Abuja on November 5, 2021, to sit for his last examination at OAU, and lodged at the Hilton Hotel belonging to Rahman Adedoyin and was declared missing on November 7, 2021, after his classmates discovered that he did not show up in class at the Moro Distance Learning Centre of the university.
Also, police investigation revealed that he had told his family of his plan to check into the Hilton Hotel in Ile-Ife where he usually stayed whenever he arrived Ife.
Others allegedly connected to the murder still at large are Esther Asigoh and Quadiri Moshood. (NAN)
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