Friday, March 29, 2024

OAU student murder: Hotel worker testifies over alleged altering of documents

Uba Group

BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

Kunle Adebayo, one of the workers of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife who are standing trial over alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University, on Friday, denied altering the hotel documents to conceal the death of Adegoke.

When the matter resumed for continuation of hearing of the matter between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the hotel owner, Dr Rahman Adedoyin and six of his workers, Adebayo, the sixth defendant said he is the hotel’s auditor.

Adebayo, while being cross examined by Okon-Edet Ita, counsel to the seventh defendant, had informed the court that he gave the hotel documents that consisted of information about the lodging of Adegoke and other guests, to the police alone but when he was asked to read the statement he tendered at the police station during interrogation, the defendant said a receipt was missing.

He revealed that the receptionist on duty on the day Adegoke lodged in the hotel, Miss Adedeji Adesola, had given him the documents for audit adding that he was yet to carryout the auditing before he received a call that he should bring it to the police.

Contrary to what he said in his testimony that he didn’t give the documents to anyone before taking them to the police, it was revealed in court when Adebayo read out his statement that he had given the documents to the Managing Director of the hotel and son to the hotel owner, Roheem Adedoyin, before the documents got to the police.

He further denied doctoring the documents to conceal that Adegoke lodged in the hotel and also dismissed the poser that he removed the receipt issued to Adegoke before releasing the documents to the police.

The witness said, “I gave statements to the police in Osun and Abuja and I maintain all that I wrote there. I wrote my statement myself. It’s not true that I took the hotel documents to MD Roheem and Moshood (another receptionist at the hotel) before I was later called to take them to the police. I directly handed them over to the police. I don’t know wether the receipt issued to the deceased was there or not because I was yet to go through the documents before I was asked to being them to the police.”

But when Adebayo was asked to read out some lines of his statement in exhibit marked Adegoke Exhibit 10 and 29, he read, “Receipt was missing. I have not audit the documents.
Receptionist should be able to explain it well
I don’t work with them (receptionists) at the hotel, I am only there for audit. Moshood Quadri, the receptionist gave me the account. Money was not paid completely to the bank. The account was later brought to me by Adesola. Afterwards, I was called to bring the account, it was collected by MD Roheem, I went to collect the account and later presented it to the police. Receipt number was missing.”

When Ita asked him if he agreed with him that the statement he wrote at the police station is against what he had said in evidence, Adebayo kept mute. The defendant said he didn’t know where Moshood Quadri is.

Meanwhile, the last defendant in the matter, Adedeji Adesola was about to give evidence when her counsel, Ita urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable him invite two other witnesses to court.

To this end, presiding Chief Judge of the state, Justice Adepele Ojo adjourned the matter till Monday, May 30 for continuation of hearing.

It was observed that Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria who is leading the prosecution team was absent in court while he was represented by the police counsel, Mr Matthew Omosun.

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