The Appeal Court in Akure has adjourned for judgment in the murder case of Timothy Adegoke, a post-graduate student at Obafemi Awolowo University, who was killed at the Hilton Hotel and Resort in Ike-Ife, Osun.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Olufemi Akeju, said that the date for the judgment will be communicated to both counsels, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, and Mr Kehinde Eleja, after they adopted their written addresses.
In a previous ruling on May 30, 2023, the Osun State High Court sentenced Hilton Hotel owner Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, along with his staff members Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem, to death by hanging for Adegoke’s murder.
The 37-year-old was brutally killed in November 2021, and his body was discovered in a shallow grave near Adedoyin’s hotel, where he had been staying.
During the appeal, lead counsel for the appellants, Eleja, urged the court to dismiss the allegations and acquit his clients, asserting that there was insufficient evidence to link Adedoyin to the crime.
In contrast, respondent’s counsel Falana called for the affirmation of the lower court’s judgment, citing substantial evidence that indicated Adedoyin conspired with others to commit the murder.