Three Of Timothy Adegoke’s Killers Sentence To Death By Hanging 

… Three Others Discharged, Acquainted 

… Court Reserves Judgement For One Other 

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By Emmanuel Adeoye

Three out of the seven killers of Timothy Adegoke have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each, as well as DEATH by hanging.

The court also discharged and acquainted three other defendants , while the judgement for the 7th defendant reserved till Wednesday by the Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adebola Adepele Ojo. 

The owner of Hilton Hotels in Ile Ife, Osun State,  Rahman Adedoyin was sentence to death by hanging over the murder of a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife in person of late Timothy Adegoke.

Two others to include  Kazeem Oyetunde and Adeniyi Aderogba were also sentenced to death by hanging by the Chuef Judge of Osun State, Justice Adebola Adepele Ojo for their involvement in the killing of Adegoke.

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Ojo in her judgement declared that the three  defendants were discharged and acquitted after being found innocent.

The three defendants are Magdalene Chiefefuna, Oluwale Lawrence and Kunle Adebayo. 

Also, Ojo  found Adedoyin guilty on Counts 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 15 bothering on conspiracy to murder and unlawful killing of Timothy Adegoke and also deposing and tampering with the deceased corpse.

She said that Hilton Hotel in Ile-Ife should be closed and forfeited to the State Government”.

“Ojo added that the children of the late deceased are to be placed on scholarship till their National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) and bills paid by estates owned by Rahman Adedoyin.  

She added that the son of the hotel owner be placed on police interpol till he is apprehended and brought to face his trial among others.  

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On the ruling delivered by the Osun State Chief Judge on Barrister Femi Falana’s eligibility as the prosecution counsel on the case, she said “there were three applications pending from the defense counsels which she needed to give her ruling as regard the elegibility of Mr Femi Falana and Mrs Aisha Adepoju to prosecute the case.

Ojo in her ruling explained that she did not see any interest of justice in granting the application and so hold it that the prosecution counsels have powers to prosecute the case. 

She said that the application as regard the issue of fiat against the prosecution counsels was misconceived and lacking in merit and is accordingly dismissed.

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Justice Adebola Adepele Ojo revealed further in her eligibility ruling that the suspects were arraigned on 16 counts bothering on conspiracy, murder felony among others, and they all pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

She added further that the case file number: HOS / 5C/ 2022 dated February 14, 2022 and filed on February 17, 2022, was substituted with: HOS/5C/ 2022, dated Feb. 22 , 2022 and filed on March 2 , 2022.

The first lead Prosecution Counsel, Mr M. Omosun, had told the court that the defendants committed the offences sometimes between November 5th, 2021 and November 7th, 2021 within Ile-Ife area in Osun.

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Omosun said that the defendants with others at large conspired among themselves to kill one Timothy Adegoke for unjust reasons.

”They also altered and cancelled the receipt number 9316, which indicated the payment receipt made by Timothy Adegoke to Hilton Hotels in Ile Ife.

”The body of the decease, his laptop, phones and his other belongings were dumped at an undisclosed place by the defendants to cover up their activities after he was allegedly murdered”.

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He said that the offences committed contravened Sections 324, 306, 315, 509, 516, 519, 242, and 106 of the Criminal Code, cap 38 volume 11, Laws of Osun, 2004.

Omosun had also pleaded with the court to order the remand of the defendants in a correctional centre due to the magnitude of the alleged offences they committed.

The case file was later taking over by the popular Human Right lawyer in person of Mr Femi Falana (SAN) to prosecute  the case after proper judiciary processes regarding arraignment.

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Adegoke was a postgraduate student at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). He left Abuja on Nov. 5, 2021 to sit for his last examination in the university at Ile-Ife .

The deceased had lodged at Hilton hotels belonging to Rahman Adedoyin, where he allegedly lost his life and declared missing on November 7, 2021, after his classmates discovered that he did not show up in class at Moro Distance Learning Centre of the university . 

Also, the police investigation revealed that he had told his family of his plans to checked into Hilton hotels in ife, where he usually stays whenever he arrived ife.

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At the beginning of investigation by the police, the hotel had denied that the deceased lodged at their facility before some evidence on payment transactions was discovered . 

Treasure Newspaper reports that the Police investigation officers also revealed that one of the white Hilux vans allegedly used in carrying the deceased’s body by the son of the hotel in person of  Raheem Adedoyin, was later recovered in an undisclosed place in Abuja. 

Adedoyin’s son was the managing director of the hotel and reportedly supervised the dumping of Adegoke’s body in a shallow grave along Ife highway before it was recovered by the police.

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Some suspects now at large in search by the police are Raheem Adedoyin (Son), Esther Asigoh and Quadri Moshood over alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke. 

The Prosecution Counsel, from Falana and Falana Chambers, Barrister Fatima Adebayo, had prayed the court to sentence the seventh defendant, Adedeji Adesola. 

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