Appeal Court Delays Ruling on Former OAU Student’s Murder Case

The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, has reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by Ramon Adedoyin, the owner of Hilton Hotel and Resort in Ile-Ife, concerning the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Adedoyin was sentenced to death by an Osun State High Court for his role in Adegoke’s murder at his hotel.....Read Full Article>>

He is contesting this ruling. The three-member panel, led by Justice Olufemi Akeju, stated that the date for the judgment would be communicated to both counsels, Femi Falana and Kehinde Eleja, after they presented their written arguments.

Counsel for the appellant, Eleja, requested that the court dismiss the charges against Adedoyin, arguing for his acquittal on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the murder. Eleja noted, “The appellant did not make any confessional statement during the trial and did not call any witnesses, as nothing was said against him. There was doubt regarding Adedoyin’s presence in the hotel the day before the incident.”

Conversely, respondent counsel Falana urged the court to uphold the lower court’s judgment, citing the evidence presented by the prosecution. He asserted that circumstantial evidence demonstrated Adedoyin’s conspiracy with others in committing the crime and requested that the appeal be dismissed.

Falana stated, “There is no doubt about the appellant’s involvement in Adegoke’s death. After the incident, Adedoyin gathered some of his staff and had them take an oath of secrecy. He also took the vehicle used to transport the deceased to his home in Abuja and instructed his staff to conceal the circumstances surrounding the murder.”

It is important to note that the Osun High Court had previously found Adedoyin and two of his staff guilty in connection with Adegoke’s death, which occurred between November 5 and 7, 2021, at the hotel where he was staying. Following his conviction, Adedoyin appealed to the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the lower court’s decision.