There was a heavy security presence at the entrance to the premises of Osun state High Court on Thursday, as Dr Ramon Adedoyin, the owner of Hiltons Hotel, Ile-Ife, and six others arrested in connection with the death of Masters student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Timothy Adegoke, appeared before the court.
The defendants were due to appear at court 1, where Osun state Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo, would preside over the matter.
Adedoyin, as well as, Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwale Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem and Adebayo Kunle, had previously been arraigned before Federal High Court in Abuja on counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful interference with a dead body, altering and intent to destroy evidence and murder.
But counsel to the family of the deceased, Femi Falana, SAN, had written to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba asking that the matter be returned to Osun state, where the crime was allegedly committed.
Upon return to court on February 7, the prosecutor withdrew the matter.
In anticipation of the crowd that may storm the court to witness the trial, the main gate of the premises of the High Court was manned by many heavily armed policemen and some plainclothes security men, suspected to be operatives of State Security Service.
People going in were thoroughly searched and made to identify themselves before they were allowed into the premises.
At the entrance to the courtroom, policemen in plainclothes and protocol officers of the court subjected lawyers, journalists and others going into the court to search before they were allowed in.
The seven defendants led by Adedoyin dressed in white kaftan entered the courtroom around 8:47 am.
Three men that had wanted to enter the premises of court were arrested by the police.
The men drove to the gate in an unregistered Nissan Micra car and were subjected to search when incriminating items were reportedly found on them.
The men were later whisked away in a police van towards Dugbe Divisional Police Station, Osogbo.
Details later…
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