The Court of Appeal in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a renowned businessman and hotelier, for his role in the murder of Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering its judgment on Thursday, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the Osun State High Court, which had earlier sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court stated.
However, the Court of Appeal overturned certain aspects of the lower court’s orders. These included the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the directive for Adedoyin to fund Adegoke’s children’s education.
The court further noted that it lacked jurisdiction to impose penalties beyond statutory provisions.
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his body was discovered at Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had stayed.
The postgraduate student had traveled from Abuja on November 5, 2021, for an examination at a distance learning center in Moro, Osun State. He checked into the hotel but was declared missing two days later. His body was eventually found, prompting an investigation that implicated Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and his accomplices were convicted and sentenced to death for murder and conspiracy to murder.
Unhappy with the ruling, Adedoyin appealed to the Court of Appeal to overturn the conviction and sentence.
On Thursday, the appellate court dismissed his appeal and reaffirmed both the conviction and the death sentence.
