Timothy Adegoke: Police Charge Hilton Hotel Owner, Six Others To Court

THE Nigerian Police have charged the proprietor of Hilton Hotel Rahmon Adedoyin and six others to court over the death of Timothy Adegoke, a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, who died under mysterious circumstances at the Hilton Hotel on November 6, 2021.

The accused were charged before an FCT High Court, Abuja.

But the Police could not arraign Adedoyin’s son, Raheem, and two others who are at large.

According to the case file seen by The Lawyer, Adedoyin faces a charge of attempted felony, conspiracy, unlawful interference with Adegoke’s corpse, and tampering with the hotel’s receipt and CCTV camera with the intent to destroy evidence that would prove that Adegoke visited the hotel.

However, the Police excluded Adedoyin from the murder charge, which others who stand trial with him are facing.

Media reports have claimed Adedoyin supervised Adegoke’s killing and used his body parts for ritual. The autopsy conducted on the deceased showed his organs were intact.

On December 14, 2021, this newspaper exclusively reported how the coroner’s inquest showed that Adegoke died from severe bleeding due to traumatic injuries.

Adegoke was a master’s degree student at the OAU. He left Abuja on November 5 for Ile-Ife to sit for his last examination in the university.

He lodged at the hotel, where he allegedly died. He was declared missing on November 7 after his classmates discovered that he failed to show up in class at the Moro Distance Learning Centre of the OAU.

He had told his family he would check in at the hotel, where he usually lodged.

Curiously, rather than pay into the hotel’s account as a client, investigations revealed he made a cash transfer into the bank account of one of the employees – an act considered irregular.

The hotel had repeatedly denied the deceased lodged at the facility before facts on the transaction emerged.

The Police consequently arrested some of the hotel’s staff, including Adedoyin, its owner.

Standing trial with Adedoyin are Adedeji Adesola, 23; Magdalene Chiefuna, 24; Adeniyi Aderogba, 37; Oluwale Lawrence, 37; Oyetunde Kazeem, 38; Adebayo Kunle, 35; and others still at large.

Those at large are Raheem Adedoyin, Esther Asigoh and Quadiri Moshood.

Adedoyin’s son (Raheem) managed the hotel and reportedly supervised the dumping of Adegoke’s corpse far from the hotel.

The case summary with the Police revealed that one of the white Hilux vans allegedly used in carrying the deceased’s body by the younger Adedoyin was recovered in Abuja.

On Tuesday, one of Adedoyin’s legal team, Abiodun Williams, told our reporter that the trial showed the Police had concluded investigations on the matter.

He said the Police had cleared Adedoyin of the “grievous allegations of murder and ritual killing peddled against him.”

Williams said the hotel owner should not have been part of the trial.

“We will leave the rest to the court to decide according to the proof of evidence placed before it.”

The lawyer urged the media and the public to allow the court to do justice to the case.

He expressed hope that the deceased, his relations and those accused of his death would get justice at the court.

The case summary reads: “The complaint made against the defendants was that on 5th of November, 2021, one Adegoke Timothy, and MBA student of Obafemi Awolowo University who lodged at Hilton Royal Hotel Oshogbo was murdered and his corpse was thrown into a bush at Oshogbo, and that the management of the hotel owned by Dr Rahmon Adedoyin, the MD Raheem Adedoyin, son of the chairman of the hotel, and other staff illegally disposed the deceased body and that they also destroyed the CCCT camera on the floor of hotel room 305 with a view to cover up.

“That the receipt No. 9316 issued to the deceased while he checked into the hotel room was found to have been altered. That investigation revealed that the deceased body was discovered lifeless in room 305, and the chairman was informed, and he told them his MD Raheem Adedoyin would handle the situation. It spent about 10 days before it was taken by Environmental Unit of Osun State Environmental Department for burial after which the corpse was exhumed and autopsy conducted by Dr. Olusegun W. A. who stated that the deceased did not die of natural consequence. While Dr. Akinwumi O. Komolafe consultant pathologist and Professor Olusegun S. Ojo, consultant pathologist stated that the cause of death was not through a violence mean.

“That one of the white Hilux van which was allegedly used in carrying the body of the deceased by Raheem Adedoyin now at large was recovered in Abuja. That one of the prime suspects by name Raheem Adedoyin and few others are still at large. Investigation further prove following offences; conspiracy, murder etc.”

Ochogwu Ogbeh W. A. Esq., M. O. Omosun Esq., Sidi Abdulrashid Isyaku, Esq., members of the legal Prosecution Section of the FCID Abuja, signed the case summary.