- Safiu Kehinde
The Court of Appeal, Akure Division, has on Thursday, upheld the death sentence passed on Mr.Rahmon Adedoyin for the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
Adedoyin and two of his hotel staff, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem, were found guilty of the murder by the Osun High Court and sentenced to death by hanging in May 2023.
The businessman, however, appealed the decision of the trial court.
Recall that Adegoke was killed between 5th and 7th November 2021, while he lodged at the Hilton Hotel in Ile-Ife, owned by Adedoyin.
In her ruling, Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, said the appellate court unanimously upheld the lower court’s decision on the charges of conspiracy to kill and unlawful killing by the three convicts.
However, the appellate court set aside the judgment that the Estate of Adedoyin should be responsible for payment of the school fees of the children of Adegoke.
It also set aside the forfeiture order of Hilton hotel and the Hilux pickup that was used to transport Adegoke’s corpse from the hotel to where it was buried to the Federal Government.
According to Justice Omoleye, the court is limited to the statutory provisions as to the penalty provided by the law.
Speaking to newsmen after the judgment, Mr Femi Falana, Counsel to Osun government, hailed the judgment of the court.
Falana, who was represented by Mrs Fatima Adesina, said that the lower court’s verdict had been substantially upheld.
“Substantially, the judgment of the lower court has been upheld.
“ For the killing, they have been convicted by the trial court for conspiracy to kill, and unlawful killing. Those convictions were upheld by the court.
“ So the only aspect of the judgment that was set aside was in respect of the various decisions of the trial court which stated that the convicts would be responsible for the education of the children of the deceased.
“And the Appeal Court has also set aside the lower court’s judgment on the forfeiture of the convicts’ properties,” he said.