Dr Ramon Adedoyin, the owner of Hilton Hotels in Ile-Ife, Osun State, along with two of his staff members who were convicted for the murder of ex-Masters student Timothy Adegoke from Obafemi Awolowo University, have lodged an appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that the Osun State Chief Judge Adepele Ojo had presided over the case and sentenced Adedoyin and his two staff members, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem, to death by hanging for their involvement in the evacuation of the deceased from the hotel.
Justice Ojo also ruled that the hotel where the incident occurred should be forfeited to the state government, and the education of Adegoke’s children should be funded until they complete tertiary education using the assets of the convicts.
Three other hotel staff members, namely Magdalene Chiefuna, Oluwole Lawrence, and Adebayo Kunle, were acquitted of the charges. The seventh defendant, Adesola Adedeji, who was the receptionist on duty when Adegoke arrived at the hotel, received a two-year prison sentence starting from the day of her arrest.
One of the lawyers representing Adedoyin in the case, Mr Muhydeen Adeoye, confirmed that the convicts have appealed the judgment of the Osun State High Court.
According to him, “We have filed an appeal against the judgment of Osun State High Court. The appeal was filed before the Court of Appeal in Akure.”