An Osun High Court sitting in Osogbo, on Monday, refused the bail applications for the Chairman of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Rahmon Adedoyin and six others, charged with the murder of Timothy Adegoke.
Adegoke was a post-graduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who died in the hotel in November 2021.
The six other defendants, who were equally refused bail, were: Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Florence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola.
The Chief Judge of Osun, Justice Adepele Ojo, in her ruling, refused their bail applications due to the magnitude of the offence they allegedly committed.
She said that the offences, as being alleged against the defendants, were serious felony charges that could attract jail terms.
Ojo overruled the application for bail by the defence counsels on health grounds, adding that the correctional centre had all the necessary facilities for those with medical challenges.
The defendants had earlier pleaded not guilty to the 11-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted felony, unlawful interference with a dead body, altering and intent to destroy evidence.
The case file number: HOS/5C/2022, dated Feb. 14 and filed on Feb. 17, had earlier been substituted with HOS/5C/ 2022, dated Feb. 22, and filed on March 2.
Gbade, elder brother to the late Masters’ student, on Monday said he saw blood stains on the wall of the room where his brother lodged at Hilton Honours Hotel, Ile-Ife when he and some operatives inspected the room.
Gbade, the third prosecution witness, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, M. Omosun, also said he observed during the visit that the door to the room was damaged and repaired.
But while being cross examined by Mr K. Eleja, SAN, counsel for the hotel’s owner, Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, he admitted not writing that there were blood stains on the wall and that the door to the room was damaged in the two statements he wrote before the police, which were earlier admitted as evidence by the court.
Gbade also told the court he was approached by one Idmund on the telephone phone to accept N50 million, while wife of the deceased, he said was offered N70 million to settle the matter.
He however said Adedoyin did not personally offer him money.
He also said the receptionist on duty the day late Adegoke lodged in the hotel, Adesola Adedeji, told Investigative Police Officer in charge of the case that the hotel’s lodgers’ register had been doctored.
Giving her testimony before the court, wife of the deceased, Bolatito, who could not control her emotion and broke down in tears, said the last meal eaten by her husband was the one he ate in the evening of Friday, November 4.
She also insisted that her husband was not sick, and while being cross examined by one of the defence counsel, Kunle Adegoke, SAN, on why she was making frequent calls to her husband, Bolatito said calls to her husband on the day the incident happened were not unusually persistent.
Also testifying before the court, Adetola Adewoyin, a relation to the late Adegoke, also said she was contacted by the deceased’s wife to assist her in checking the campus where her husband was supposed to sit for examination when she could not reach him on the telephone.
Ojo, however, adjourned till March 8, for the continuation of the trial.
