From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

One of the staff of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, where the Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Timothy Adegoke, lodged before he was allegedly killed, Oyetunde Kazeem, yesterday told the court why the deceased was dumped inside the bush.

Led in evidence by Abdurasheed Muritala, SAN, the witness, who is also standing trial alongside the hotelier and six other staff, said he did not steal the mobile phone or laptop of the deceased as alleged by the prosecution.

He said he did not see the Toyota Hilux vehicle used to dump the deceased at the police headquarters in Abuja.

But during cross-examination by the prosecutor, Femi Falana, SAN, Kazeem explained that the Managing Director of the hotel and son of the hotelier, Raheem Adedoyin, led him and Adeniyi Aderogba to dump the dead body.

When asked if he was surprised when he saw the Hilux vehicle in Abuja, Kazeem said he was surprised.

“I don’t know who killed Timothy Adegoke. Raheem told me that he had reported it to the police station and they said we should take the body to the mortuary. That is why we followed him. When we later dumped the body inside the bush, I didn’t report to the police. I, Adeniyi Aderogba, and the MD took the body to the dumping ground. I was surprised to see the Hilux vehicle in Abuja when the police took us there,” he added.

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Asked whether he saw the owner of the hotel, Dr. Rahmon Adedoyin, on the night that the deceased lodged, he said, “it is true that I slept and I didn’t know what happened to the deceased when I slept.

“But there is no way Dr. Adedoyin would come that I would not know.

“He did not come to the hotel,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, counsel to the third and sixth defendants, Rowland Otaru, SAN, challenged the authority of Falana, SAN, to prosecute the matter, saying he did not have a fiat issued in his name to preside over the matter.

But Falana promised to produce the fiat, noting that he had produced it when the issue was first raced.

The Chief Judge of the state, who presided over the matter, Justice Oyebola Ojo, expressed surprise that the fiat was not in the file, directing the prosecution to produce it and adjourned the matter to today, for the continuation of the hearing.