The decision of the Nigerian Police Force to discontinue the murder charge against the owners of Hilton Hotels and Resolts, Ile-Ife Prince Rahman Adedoyin, over the death of Post Graduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University Timothy Adegoke has forced the Federal High Court in Abuja to consequently strike out the case.
The judge, Modupe Osho-Adebiyi, issued the order striking out the charges filed against Adedoyin and six others in connection to Adegoke’s death after the prosecuting counsel, Ochogwu Ogbe, moved an application for discontinuance of the case on Tuesday.
Ogbe said the police elected to discontinue with the case so as to conduct further investigations.
Adegoke died at the hotel on November 6, 2021 and the owner of the facilities and six others have since been in police custody.
Others charged with Adedoyin are Adedeji Adesola, 23; Magdalene Chiefuna, 24; Adeniyi Aderogba, 37; Oluwale Lawrence, 37; Oyetunde Kazeem, 38; Adebayo Kunle, 35, and others still at large.
The police had moved Adedoyin and the six others from Osun State to Abuja for investigation and prosecution.
According to the case summary and proof of evidence earlier filed by the police, Adedoyin is being charged with illegally disposing of Adegoke’s body, altering and cancelling his payment receipt and removal of the hotel’s CCTV cameras with intent to destroy evidence.
But in a ‘Notice of Discontinuation of Charge No.CR/015/2022 brought pursuant to Section 108 of Administration of Criminal Act 2015’, on February 7, 2022, the police told the court to discontinue the matter.
“Take notice that the complainant discontinue all of the proceedings in this case against the above named defendants for further investigation,” said Ochogwu Ogbeh of the Legal and Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
One of the counsels for the defendants, Yusuf Alli (SAN), confirmed the development to our correspondent on Tuesday.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, had asked the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to transfer the suspects from the Abuja court to a competent court in Osun State.
Falana, who is the lawyer to the family of the deceased Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, made the request in a letter dated February 4, 2022.
The senior lawyer had argued that the criminal offences were said to have been committed at Ile-Ife and that the suspects ought to have been charged before
