Court admits forensic test on Adegoke’s hotel room in evidence

We’ve no case to answer, defendants tell court
The police prosecution team in the murder case of a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke, yesterday, closed its case at an Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo.

This followed court’s admission in evidence the forensic analysis carried out on a curtain swab stick obtained from room 305, where the deceased lodged in Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Ile-Ife before his demise.  

The owner of Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Ile-Ife, Dr Rahman Adedoyin and six of his workers who are standing trial in connection with Adegoke’s murder.

Adedoyin and his hotel workers, including Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola are facing trial on eleven-count charges, bordering on murder, conspiracy and felony, amongst others .

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the lead prosecution counsel, M. O. Omosun, tendered forensic analysis carried out on a curtain swab stick obtained from room 305 that the deceased lodged before his demise.  

Testifying before the court, the eighth and final prosecution witness, Samuel Odeh, a Deputy Superintendent of Police from Force Criminal Investigation Department, informed the court that forensic analysis was carried out on a curtain swab stick obtained from the room, which the deceased lodged in.

Odeh, a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator, said the analysis was to ascertain the substance found on the sample.

He said: “On January 11, 2022, a letter of request was received from the Investigation Police Officer (IPO) in Abuja seeking an analysis to be done on a sample brought and the Commissioner of Police sent it to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benedict Agbo, whom I work under.

“The request was to identify the substance on the curtain swab stick and it was done and a report was issued to that effect. There was a typographical error on the date of the first report but it has been corrected.”

After tendering the forensic analysis as evidence, which the court admitted, despite objections from the defence counsel, Omosun informed the court that a staff of Union Bank of Africa (UBA), served court summons to appear in court to give evidence, did not come.

He therefore informed the court that the prosecution has closed its case after calling eight witnesses and tendering several pieces of evidence to prove the allegations.

When the presiding judge, Justice Adepele Ojo asked the defence to open their case, counsels to the seven defendants said they would befurnishing the court with a no case submission.

Counsel to Adedoyin, the first defendant, Yusuf Alli, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN, counsel to the second, fourth and fifth defendants, 

Muritala Abdulrasheed, SAN, the third and sixth defendants’ counsel, Ronald Otaru, SAN, and counsel to the seventh defendant, Okon Edet, urged the court to give them two days to file their written no case addresses having gone through all the evidences tendered before the court by the prosecution.

“We have followed with rapt attention, and to the evidence tendered so far in this matter, we believe that this is a case we should do a no case submission. We therefore pray to your Lordship to give us 48 hours to file our no case submission,” Alli said.

Other defence counsel made similar applications to enable them file their no case addresses. Justice Ojo, however, granted their prayers and gave the prosecution two days to file replies to the no case submissions to be filed by each of the accused persons.

The judge adjourned till Friday, March 25, for adoption of written addresses, adding that ruling on the no case submission and prosecution’s replies would be delivered next week.