Timothy Adegoke Murder: Prosecution Seeks Amendment of Charges against Dr Adedoyin, Others

Osogbo: By Kayode ADEGBADE

Published, Tuesday, June 28, 202

PROSECTORS IN THE MURDER OF Timothy Adegoke (pictured above), a Master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), have sought the court reliefs to amend the charges pressed against the owner of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Dr Rahmon Adedoyin, and six staff of the hotel who are standing trial for the alleged murder.

When the case came up on Monday, the prosecution led by Fatima Adesina, informed the court that she had filed an application, seeking the relief of the court to allow her to amend the charges against the defendants.

According to her, the court could grant the application brought under section 211 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Osun State, 2018 since judgement's yet to be delivered in the case.

However, the teamof counsel to the defendants, K. K. Eleja SAN, Kunle Adegoke SAN, Dr Rowland Otaru SAN, and Okon Ita, argued against the application, urging the court to refuse the amendment application on the ground that the case was brought to the court by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not Osun State.

They argued that the charge brought by FRN could not be replaced or substituted and two charges could not subsist at the same time, saying “the person that filed and signed the application did not have fiat of the Attorney General.

But, the prosecution maintained that the defendant could not dictate to the court or the prosecution the number of charges to be instituted against them.

She relied on section 163 of the Criminal Procedure Act and the case of Uguru against the State, 2002, urging the court to dismiss the counter affidavit of the defendants.

The Chief Judge of Osun, Justice Oyebola Adepele-Ojo, thereby adjourned the case to July 14 for ruling on the application..