Police withdraws charges against hotel owner, workers over OAU student death

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Tuesday struck out criminal charges filed against the owner of Hilton Hotels, Ile Ife, Osun state, Rahman Adedoyin, and some of his workers in the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University.

The deceased student reportedly died under mysterious circumstances at the hotel in November 2021 and was buried in a shallow grave, leading to the arrest of the hotel owner along with some of his workers.

Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi struck out the case when police lawyers requested that they needed to conduct further investigations into the murder of the student.

The Force Central Investigations Department (FCID) had filed criminal charges against Adedoyin accusing him of an attempted felony, conspiracy, unlawful interference with Adegoke’s corpse and tampering with the hotel’s receipt and CCTV camera with the intent to conceal evidence to prove that the deceased Adegoke lodged in the hotel.

The police allegedly excluded Adedoyin from the murder charge brought against his hotel workers and opted for lesser charges against him.

However, counsel to the deceased family, Mr Femi Falana SAN confirmed to newsmen that new charge will be filed at the Osun State High Court, being a place where the alleged cause of action originated from.

Those charged with murder are 23-year old Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, 24; Adeniyi Aderogba and Oluwale Lawrence both 37year old; Oyetunde Kazeem, 38; Adebayo Kunle, 35; while others are said to still be at large.