The Osun State High Court on Wednesday declared that the owner of Hilton Hotel, Rahman Adedoyin and seven others facing trial in the murder case of Timothy Adegoke, an NBA student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have case to answer.
Others charged alongside Adedoyin are Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwale Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle, and others at large.
The court also dismissed a ‘no case submission’ filed by the counsels , Rahman Adedoyin and others.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution counsel, M.O. Omosun, prayed the court that a ‘no case submission’ by all the defendants be dismissed as Prima Facie had been established based on all evidence presented before the court.
In her ruling, Justice Adepele Ojo considered all exhibits presented by all witnesses and admitted in evidence by the court, saying a Prima Facie, does not mean that the prosecution counsel must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge said the prosecution was able to establish a Prima Facie through all the witnesses, that Timothy Adegoke lodged at the Hilton Honour Hotel, Ile-Ife and that his body was interfered with and disrespectfully evacuated.
She then discharged the ‘no case submission’ filed by counsels to all the defendants and ordered that they enter their defense.
Responding to the ruling, one of the defense counsels, Kehinde Eleja, SAN, told the court that they were not ready to immediately file their defense since they were not sure of what the ruling.
He then prayed the court that the defense counsels would require time to prepare their defense.
Justice Ojo, therefore, adjourned till the 25th of April, 2022 for the hearing of the defense.
Adedoyin is the owner of the Hilton Hotel and Resort, Ile-Ife where Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State, was reportedly killed.
Timothy, an Abuja-based student, had travelled to Ife on November 5 to take an examination at the school’s distance learning center in Moro, Osun State.
