The Court of Appeal, Akure Division, on Thursday, upheld the death sentence passed on Dr Rahmon Adedoyin for the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State.

Adegoke was killed between November 5, 2021 and November 7, 2021, while he lodged at Hilton hotel in Ile-Ife, owned by Adedoyin.

Adedoyin and two of his hotel staff members, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem, were found guilty of the murder by the Osun High Court and sentenced to death by hanging in May 2023.

Adedoyin, however, appealed the decision of the trial court.

Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, said the appellate court unanimously upheld the lower court’s decision on the charges of conspiracy to kill and unlawful killing by the three convicts.

Omoleye said that the court, however, set aside the judgment that the Estate of Adedoyin should be responsible for payment of the school fees of the children of Adegoke.

Also the court set aside the forfeiture order of Hilton hotel and the Hilux pickup used to transport Adegoke’s corpse from the hotel to where it was buried to the Federal Government.

According to her, the court is limited to the statutory provisions as to the penalty provided by the law.

Speaking to journalists after the judgment, Counsel to the Osun State government, Femi Falana, hailed the judgment of the court.

Mr Falana, represented by Fatima Adesina, said that the lower court’s verdict had been substantially upheld.

Mr Falana said, “Substantially, the judgment of the lower court has been upheld.  For the killing, they have been convicted by the trial court for conspiracy to kill, and unlawful killing. Those convictions were upheld by the court. So the only aspect of the judgment that was set aside was in respect of the various decisions of the trial court which stated that the convicts would be responsible for the education of the children of the deceased. And the Appeal Court has also set aside the lower court’s judgment on the forfeiture of the convicts’ properties.’’

(NAN)