From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
An Auditor with Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, where Timothy Adegoke, a Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) died before he was allegedly dumped inside the bush, Kunle Adebayo, has admitted that the receipt number issued to the deceased was missing in the record.
Adebayo who is standing trial alongside the hotelier, Dr Rahmon Adedoyin, and five staff of the hotel, gave evidence before an Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo, on Friday.
Asked under cross-examination by a counsel, Okon Ita, if the documents he submitted to the police were first taken to the Managing Director, Raheem, and Moshood Quadri, a receptionist, before he submitted to the police, the witness denied it.
Asked whether he knew that the receipt issued to the deceased has been doctored before taking it to the police, Adebayo said ‘no’.
However, the counsel asked him to read the statement he made to the police and he admitted that he submitted the documents to the son of the hotelier (now at large) before he later submitted them to the police.
He reads: “receipt was missing. I have not audited it. Receptionist should be able to explain it well. I don’t work with them at the hotel. I’m there for an audit. Moshood the receptionist gave me the account.
“Money is not paid completely to the bank. The account was later brought to me by Adeshola. Afterwards, I was called to bring the account, it was collected by MD Raheem. I went to collect the account and later present it to the police. Receipt number was missing.”
He told the counsel that he couldn’t say where the MD and Moshood are, saying “I can only see myself.”
Justice Oyebola Adepele-Ojo, thereby adjourned the matter to Monday, 30th May, for the continuation of trial.