The Osun State High Court on Wednesday dismissed a ‘no-case submission’ filed by the counsels to the owner of Hilton Hotel, Rahman Adedoyin, and seven others facing trial in the murder case of Timothy Adegoke, an NBA student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
Consequently, the court ruled that the suspects have a case to answer.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution counsel, M.O. Omosun, prayed to the court that a ‘no case submission’ by all the defendants be dismissed as Prima Facie had been established based on all evidence presented before the court.
In her ruling, Justice Adepele Ojo considered all exhibits presented by all witnesses and admitted in evidence by the court, saying a Prima Facie, does not mean that the prosecution counsel must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge said the prosecution was able to establish a Prima Facie through all the witnesses, that Timothy Adegoke lodged at the Hilton Honour Hotel, Ile-Ife, and that his body was interfered with and disrespectfully evacuated.
She then discharged the ‘no-case submission filed by counsels to all the defendants and ordered that they enter their defense.
Responding to the ruling, one of the defense counsels, Kehinde Eleja, SAN, told the court that they were not ready to immediately file their defense since they were not sure of what the ruling.
He then prayed to the court that the defense counsels would require time to prepare their defense.
Justice Ojo, therefore, adjourned till the 25th of April, 2022 for the hearing of the defense.
Adedoyin is the owner of the Hilton Hotel and Resort, Ile-Ife where Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State, was reportedly killed.
Timothy, an Abuja-based student, had traveled to Ife on November 5 to take an examination at the school’s distance learning center in Moro, Osun State.
According to the police, 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.
His body was subsequently found buried by the hotel management in a shallow grave without the knowledge of his family or the police.
Adedoyin was 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.
Others charged alongside him are Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwale Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle, and others at large.
