OAU student’s murder: Adedoyin to die by hanging, Appeal Court affirms

By Ayodele Popoola
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has affirmed the death sentence passed on Dr Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent hotelier, over the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a former Master’s degree student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Delivering judgement on Thursday, Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, rejected Adedoyin’s appeal and upheld the earlier decision of the Osun State High Court, which sentenced him to death by hanging.
The appellate court ruled that the Osun State Government successfully proved the offence of murder against Adedoyin and two others beyond all reasonable doubt.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal, which had reserved judgment on the case since October 29, 2024, declared, “The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part.”
The Court of Appeal held that Adedoyin was properly convicted and sentenced to death.
However, the appellate court nullified certain orders made by the lower court.
It stated, “Order of forfeiture of Hilton Hotel quashed and set aside. Order of education scholarship to children of Timothy Adegoke by Adedoyin and others quashed and set aside.”
Weekend Hope recalls that Adedoyin and two of his hotel staff were convicted by the Osun High Court for their involvement in the murder of Adegoke, who died between 5 and 7 November 2021 while lodging at Hilton Hotel.
The High Court’s verdict was largely based on circumstantial evidence that implicated Adedoyin and his staff in the crime.
The court highlighted that Adedoyin’s refusal to testify or present an alibi during the trial weakened his defence.
Adedoyin and his staff members, Adeniyi Aderogba and Oyetunde Kazeem, were sentenced to death by hanging for their roles in disposing of Adegoke’s body from the hotel premises.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Adedoyin and his co-defendants filed an appeal seeking to overturn the verdict.
Speaking with journalists immediately after the judgment, counsel for the respondents, Femi Falana (SAN), explained that the appellate court upheld the trial court’s conviction for offences such as conspiracy to kill, unlawful killing, and accessory after the fact.
Falana, represented by Fatima Adesina Esq., noted, “The judgment of the appellate court has upheld the conviction by the trial court for those various offences.”
She added, “The Court quashed certain aspects of the trial court’s decision, particularly the order mandating the respondents to take responsibility for the education of the children of the deceased Timothy Adegoke.
“It means that the conviction by the trial court that the defendants were guilty of conspiracy to kill and for unlawfully killing Timothy Adegoke with tampering or interfering with his dead body has been upheld.
“The Court also held that for convictions, the jurisdiction of the Court is limited to the statutory provisions as to the penalty provided by the law. So, the statutory provision is either the Court.
“The trial court complies with the maximum penalty or the minimum. So, anything outside the two, the Court will not have jurisdiction to so do.
“So on that basis, the appellant, Dr. Rahman Adedoyin will not be responsible for the education of the children of the deceased, and the forfeiture of his property to the state government has been quashed by the Court of Appeal.”