Appeal Court Upholds Death Sentence for Adedoyin in OAU Student’s Murder Case

The Court of Appeal has upheld the death sentence of Adedoyin over the murder of OAU student Timothy Adegoke, reaffirming the verdict of the lower court.

The Court of Appeal in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, has confirmed the death penalty for Ramon Adedoyin, a well-known businessman and hotelier. He was convicted for his role in the murder of Timothy Adegoke, who was formerly a postgraduate student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

On Thursday, the court upheld the previous decision of the Osun State High Court, confirming Adedoyin’s death sentence.

“The Osun State High Court’s decision remains upheld. The court partially dismissed Adedoyin’s appeal,” the ruling stated in part.

The Court of Appeal, however, overturned certain elements of the lower court’s decisions. This includes revoking both the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the directive for Adedoyin to cover Adegoke’s children’s educational expenses.

Additionally, the court determined that it lacked jurisdiction to impose penalties beyond those specified in statutory provisions.

The death of Adegoke was reported in November 2021 after his body was discovered at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had been staying.

He checked into the hotel and was reported missing two days later. Eventually, Adegoke’s body was discovered several days after that, prompting an investigation that connected his death to Adedoyin and others.

In May 2023, Adedoyin and several others were sentenced to death following their conviction for murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Unhappy with the judgment, Adedoyin appealed to have both the sentence and conviction overturned.

On Thursday, the court of appeal upheld both the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.