BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Judgement in the trial of the alleged murder of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife is to be delivered next week.
The Point reliably learnt from court officials on Wednesday that the Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo, is expected to deliver the judgement.
It was gathered that the verdict would be delivered at exactly 9 am on Tuesday, May 30 at the State High Court 1 sitting in Osogbo.
The owner of Hilton Honors Hotel, Ile-Ife, Rahmon Adedoyin and six of his hotel workers, including Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola, are standing trial over the death of Adegoke.
The defendants had been remanded in prison since their first arraignment in February 2022 and had been attending their trial from custody.
At the last sitting in April 2023, Ojo, the presiding judge, received the final written and counter addresses from parties.
Counsels to the defendants including Yusuf Ali, Rowland Otaru, and Murtala Abdulrasheed, in their separate applications, had asked the court to declare null and void the appearances, applications and other legal activities of the prosecuting counsel, Femi Falana for allegedly lacking locus standi to prosecute the matter.
They urged the court to declare null and void and unconstitutional the appearances, applications and entire proceedings that Falana, Funmi Falana and Fatima Adesina took part for failing to show proof that they were prosecuting with the approval of the Attorney General of Osun State and Commissioner of Justice.
While stressing that Falana does not possess fiat from the state Attorney General to prosecute the matter and that he failed to present any evidence of the fiat to the court, the defence counsels prayed for an order of the court to set aside the proceedings in which Falana and his fellow prosecuting colleagues participated and to also impede their further participation in the matter.
However, Falana had argued that he obtained a fiat from the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Osun State to prosecute the matter.
He said that the Osun State Attorney General had sent three lawyers to the court on April 25, 2022 and handed the prosecution of the matter to him and wondered what the defence counsels stood to achieve by making the applications.
While adopting their separate final written addresses, the defence counsels had prayed the court to discharge and acquit the defendants on murder and other allegations charged against them, saying that the prosecution had not proved beyond reasonable doubts that their clients were guilty as charged.
The prosecuting team had also urged the court to ensure that justice was done on the matter, maintaining that the defendants murdered and disposed of the remains of the postgraduate student.
