The development followed a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, by Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel for the family of the victim, Femi Falana, for the trial to be moved to Osogbo from Abuja since the offences took place in Osun State.
The Nigeria Police Force will on Thursday resume the trial of Dr Rahman Adedoyin, owner of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, and over six of his staff members involved in the death of a master’s student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke, in November 2021, at the Osogbo High Court I by 9:00 am.
The development followed a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, by Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel for the family of the victim, Femi Falana, for the trial to be moved to Osogbo from Abuja since the offences took place in Osun State.
Falana in the letter to the IGP in February had said, "Having killed Timothy in a gruesome manner, the assassins mutilated his body and proceed to bury it in an unmarked grave.
“The police investigation has since exhumed the mutilated body of the deceased. Based on the complaint of our clients, the Nigeria Police Force arrested some of the suspects while others who are currently at large had been declared wanted.
“To our utter dismay, the arrested suspects have been arraigned before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on a 7- count charge of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, conspiracy to commit improper or indecent interference with the body of the deceased, uttering and intent to destroy evidence under the Penal Code.
"However, as all the aforesaid criminal offences were said to have been committed at Ile-Ife, you will agree with us that the suspects ought to have been charged before a court of competent jurisdiction in Osun State.
"Consequently, we are compelled to request you to use your good offices to ensure that the case file is handed over to the Attorney-General of Osun State to enable him to study same with a view to filing relevant charges against the suspects at the High Court of Osun State."
Adegoke had lodged at Hilton Hotels on November 5, 2021, ahead of an examination at the OAU Distance Learning Centre, Moro, Osun State, on November 6 and 7.
He, however, went missing and was found dead buried in a grave following an investigation by the police.
Adedoyin and his workers were indicted in the murder following thorough findings by the IGP Intelligence Response Team from Abuja.
The police subsequently charged Adedoyin alongside Adedeji Adesola, 23; Magdalene Chiefuna, 24; Adeniyi Aderogba, 37; Oluwale Lawrence, 37, Oyetunde Kazeem, 38; Adebayo Kunle, 35, and Esther Asigoh and Quadiri Moshood are on the run.
However, the police stopped the trial in early February over the need for further investigations, attracting criticism from Nigerians.