Ramon Adedoyin, owner of Hiltons Hotel in Ile-Ife, and six of his employees are on trial for the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a Masters student at Obafemi Awolowo University. Adedoyin's case was closed on Thursday when his witnesses failed to appear in court.
Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle, and Adedeji Adesola were among the hotelier's employees who were present in court as the case resumed for the hotelier to call his witnesses on the murder charge leveled against the postgraduate student.
The Point recalls that the case had been adjourned until February 2, 2023, as of the last sitting on December 16, 2022, after the prosecuting team led by Nigerian Senior Advocate Femi Falana amended the charge by adding a murder count to Adedoyin's counts.
K. Eleja, SAN, Adedoyin's attorney, informed the court that Okon Ita, Adesola Adedeji's attorney, was not present in court while the attorneys were introducing themselves.
According to Eleja, Ita informed him that he was in the hospital.
The defense attorney noted that Eleja had intended to call two witnesses but they did not appear in court when the court asked him to call his witnesses.
He stated that he intended to contact the Nigerian Police Force Forensic Science Laboratory, Force SCID Annex, Alagbon, Lagos State, as well as Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr. Benedict Agbo.
In addition, the defense attorney stated that Ekpeyong was contacted following the previous adjournment, and he assured him that he would be present. However, a day before the sitting, he declined to appear, citing a special duty that had been assigned to him.
He requested an extension of time for the parties to adopt their final written addresses.
Additionally, attorneys for the second, fourth, and fifth defendants, Muritala Abdulrosheed, SAN, and O. Yusuf, counsel for the third and sixth defendants, both requested two weeks to file a final written address while addressing the court.
Eleja, Adedoyin's attorney, sought court relief for 14 days after receiving the prosecution's final written address before filing a reply. The prosecutor, Fatima Adesina, also requested two weeks to file her final written address.
Justice Adepele Ojo, the Chief Judge of Osun State, ruled that the parties should adopt their final written addresses by March 16.
The Point recalls that when the matter came up in court in December of last year, Adedoyin's witnesses were not present.
Since their arraignment in the Osun State High Court 1 in Osogbo in March 2022, Adedoyin and six other defendants had been remanded in the custody of the Ilesa Correctional Centre.
