The Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) of the Nigeria Police in Abuja has dropped charges against Ramon Adedoyin, the founder of Oduduwa University, and others who were charged with murder in the death of late Timothy Adegoke.

The notice discontinuing the charges, sighted by Peoples Gazette, was made by lawyers representing the FCID and served to the defendants on Tuesday, days after human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, took over the case as requested by the family. 

Mr Adedoyin was arrested in November 2021, having been identified as the prime suspect in the murder of Mr Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

The late Mr Adegoke had lodged into Hilton hotel and resort, a facility belonging to Mr Adedoyin in preparations for his exams. He was however declared missing and subsequently found dead with his body parts mutilated near the hotel days after.  
Shortly after Mr Adedoyin was arrested, one of the suspects arrested alongside him disclosed to the police that the murder and burial of the student were supervised by Mr Adedoyin’s son, Roheem, who is yet to be apprehended. 

Also, in the timeline of events, the Osun police command had disclosed that Mr Adedoyin’s son supervised the killing and burial of the late student. 
“One of the suspects confessed that the MD is the son of Dr Ramon Adedoyin. His name is Roheem Adedoyin, who is now at large,” Wale Olokode, police spokesperson in Osun said on a radio program last year.

“He also confessed that he (Roheem) organised the corpse to be thrown into a bush. The MD along with two managers took the corpse to the bush,” Mr Olokode added. 

Counsel to the Adegoke’s family, Mr Falana, on Monday, requested the transfer of the case to Osun state were the crime was committed.

In Mr Falana’s letter to the Inspector General of Police, he argued that the suspects ought to have been arraigned before any competent court in Osun, hence urging the IG to hand over the case file to state’s attorney general.

Mr Falana also indicated that legal proceedings may be used to compel the transfer if the request is not yielded. 

“However, as all the aforesaid criminal offences were said to have been committed at Ile Ife you will agree with us that the suspects ought to have been charged before a court of competent jurisdiction in Osun state.

“Consequently, we are compelled to request you to use your good office to ensure that the case file is handed over to the Attorney-General of Osun state to enable him study same with a view of filing relevant charges against the suspects at the high court of Osun state,” Mr Falana said. 

“Otherwise, we shall not hesitate to institute legal proceedings to compel you to ensure that the criminal proceedings are instituted pursuant to the criminal code (34) Laws of Osun state,” he added.