Adedeji Adesola, a receptionist at Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, where Timothy Adegoke, OAU’s postgraduate student was allegedly murdered, has disclosed that the hotel’s Managing Director, Roheem Adedoyin gave her a fresh receipt to sign and was used to replaced original one issued to the deceased.
Adesola, also a defendant along with Dr Rahman Adedoyin and five other workers in the hotel are facing trial over the murder of Adegoke, who was allegedly killed in the hotel on November 5, 2021, before his body was dumped on the roadside.
Under cross-examination from prosecution counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, the seventh defendant said that she snapped the original receipt she issued to the deceased with her phone to ensure that her account was intact before handing it over to the receptionist on the night shift.
“My lord, I didn’t plan to fabricate any evidence. On the 11th of November, 2021, I was at Ilesha when I receive a message from one of the receptionists ( Esther) that we have a meeting at the Chairman’s (Dr Adedoyin) house. I told her I can’t make it.
“Another receptionist, Moshood called me and said I must come because a receipt was missing in my account. I told him that it is not possible because I already gave my account to the auditor.
“I later went to Dr Rahmon’s house. When I got there, I met another receptionist and during our discussion, The MD Prince Raheem Adedoyin came to me and said I should follow him. He took me to a house inside the building, he also said a receipt is missing from my account but I told him it’s not possible.
“He said he is my boss and can’t lie. He said he will give me another receipt and ask me to sign it and that he was protecting me.I thought since he is my boss and the person giving me the receipt was the son to the owner of the hotel, I obliged. He gave me the receipt and a name to write on it”, she said.
She added that other defendants told her of the death of Adegoke when they were arrested on November 12, 2021.
Meanwhile, the police officer scheduled to testify for Adedoyin was not in court for the Friday proceedings as well.
Chief Justice Adepeke Ojo urged Mr Kehinde Eleja, counsel to Adedoyin ensure that the witness appears before the court on the next adjourned date on February 2, 2023.
