The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has upheld the death sentence of a popular hotel owner, Dr Ramon Adedoyin, who was found guilty in the murder case of a Master’s student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke.
The appellate court in a ruling on Thursday held that Adedoyin was properly convicted and sentenced to death by the lower court.
On October 29, 2024, the appeal court reserved judgment on the matter 16 months after the industrialist had filed an appeal.
The judgement read in parts, “The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands.
Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part. The Court of Appeal held that Adedoyin was properly convicted and sentenced to death.”It further noted that the “Order of forfeiture of Hilton Hotel quashed and set aside. Order of education scholarship to children of Timothy Adegoke by Adedoyin and others quashed and set aside.”
On November 5, 2021, Timothy Adegoke, an Abuja-based chartered accountant, travelled to Ile-Ife to write his Master of Business Administration exams at the OAU Distance Learning Centre.
When friends and family members no longer heard from the student two days after he had confirmed his arrival in Ile-Ife to them, he was declared missing.
Later, Adegoke’s body was found in a shallow grave at a location very close to Hilton Hotel and Resorts, where he had been lodged.
He left a wife and three children behind.
Hilton Hotel and Resorts belongs to Rahmon Adedoyin, and investigations conducted by the police later revealed that the business mogul was one of Adegoke’s four murderers.
