Magdalene Chiefuna, the receptionist on duty on the day the late Masters student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Timothy Adegoke, was discovered dead inside Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said on Wednesday that she and others took an oath of secrecy to protect the hotel from the adverse effect of the incident.
The Punch reports that at the resumed hearing of the matter at the Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo, Chiefuna, under cross-examination by the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, also said she did not know that the deceased was dumped until when she got to the police station six days after.
While in the dock during the court session that lasted about seven hours, Chiefuna said she only heard the deceased had paid for the room when she resumed duty on November 6, but never saw him.
She said the following day, when the lodger was not seen at the reception area, she took a spare key to Room 305 and opened the door, where she met Adegoke in the room lying face up and wrapped in duvet exposing only his face on the bed.
Chiefuna further said she initially thought Adegoke was sleeping, but became scared when she shook his leg and she immediately informed the manager on duty, Adeniyi Aderogba, of her discovery.
She added that after Aderogba had also gone into the room to check Adegoke, he declared that the lodger was dead.
She said the managing director of the hotel, Roheem Adedoyin, after the body had been discovered dead, arrived the hotel and was told what happened.
She said that Adeniyi later took her and the receptionist that was to take over duty, Esther Asigor, to the MD’s office, where Adedoyin administered an oath of confidentiality on them in order not to disclose what had transpired.
According to The Sun, the defence witness, who was led in evidence by Kunle Adegoke SAN, told the court that she was studying Philosophy at OAU at the same time as working as a receptionist at the hotel.
She narrated how she took over from Adesola Adedeji, the seventh defendant, and discovered that the occupant of Room 305 was not seen until the following day, November 7, when she got the extra key from the housekeeper and opened the door.
Under cross-examination by Femi Falana SAN, the witness said, “When the Manager, Adeniyi Aderogba, the third defendant, could not get a response after knocking at the door several times, he went out for a meeting. I opened the door and perceived some odour in the room.
“I saw a laptop plugged into the wall. There was a drug on the table. Paracetamol and another one. I saw money of lower currency on a table and I went to the bedroom.
“I saw a man lying down, facing up, covered with a duvet. A phone was ringing beside his head. I tapped his leg to wake him up but there was no response. As I was leaving the room, I saw the key to the room inserted from inside. I locked the room and left.”
She explained that she called the manager who came and confirmed the death of the occupant after taking up his hand and dropping it.
She said the manager called the chairman, Dr Rahman Adedoyin, the owner of the hotel, and “after a while, the MD, Raheem Adedoyin, came and he went upstairs with the manager. The MD asked us what happened and we explained it to him.”
She explained further that the manager took her to the office of the MD and “the MD said that we are going to swear an oath of confidentiality not to disclose the fact that we found someone inside the room, so as not to affect the business.”
The Punch/ The Sun
