OAU postgraduate student: I was told the death was reported to police, say witness

Oyetunde Kazeem, one of the defendants involved in the alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke, the Obafemi Awolowo University’s postgraduate student killed in the Hilton Hotel and Resort, has disclosed that he believed he and Raheem Adedoyin were taking the deceased’s body to a morgue.

He added that Raheem, son of Dr Rahman Adedoyin, owner of Hilton Hotel and Resort, Ile-Ife,Osun State told him that he had reported the deceased’s death to the police but they eventually dumped the body by the roadside.

Rahman Adedoyin and six of his workers are facing trial over the alleged murder of Adegoke before Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo, who had earlier granted an application to include murder charge against some of the defendants.

After the application was granted, Adedoyin, Kazeem and others who had decided not to call witnesses made U-turn and opted to call witnesses or testify for themselves.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Adedoyin’s witness was not in court, hence, the fifth defendant testified for himself and told the court that it was not oath-taking that prevented him from reporting the dumping of the deceased’s body to the police.

He said,  “I don’t know who killed Timothy Adegoke. Raheem Adedoyin told me that he has reported at the police station and they said we should take the corpse to the mortuary. I didn’t report to the police that we dumped the corpse inside the bush.

“I was inside the vehicle while the whole incident happened and Raheem drove me back to the hotel and went away”.

Earlier counsel for the fifth defendant, Rowland Otaru, SAN, challenged that Mr Femi Falana, SAN, did not have the fiat to prosecute the matter, insisting the matter cannot proceed without the fiat.

Falana however urged the defence counsel to file an application before the court to compel him (Falana) to present the fiat so they both can join issues.

Meanwhile, Justice Ojo urged Falana to present the fiat if he has it, insisting that it is fundamental and he promised to produce it on the next adjournment date, which is today.