“The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life”— George Bernard Shaw
The Oxford Dictionary of English defines a hotel as “an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists.” In other words, a hotel is a home away from home. After all, an aphorism says, “Home is wherever you find peace”.
On the contrary, in the case of Hilton Hotels and Resorts, it is allegedly a place where you find horror and terror. On Sunday, 7 November, 2021 the ancient city of Ile-Ife— which is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation and the Yoruba— was enveloped by sadness as the news of the unfortunate death of Adegoke Timothy Oludare, a student in the program of Executive Master in Business Administration (MBA) of Obafemi Awolowo University hit the town and the airwaves. Timothy who traveled from Abuja to write examinations in OAU was declared missing early this month. Through the statement obtained from a female staffer in the hotel, Adesola Tobiloba, five other people have been arrested including the owner of the hotel, Dr Rahman Adedoyin.
Dr Adedoyin is a man of means in Yorubaland. Aside from being a wealthy businessman, founder and proprietor of Oduduwa University, The Polytechnic, Ile-Ife and the owner of Hilton Hotels among other chains of business he has, he is the MAYE OF ILE-IFE and the runner-up for the Ooni of Ife stool, one of the most revered kingly positions in Nigeria. He has been allegedly fingered to be a part of the “ritualistic” killing of Oludare Ogunlana.
It is noteworthy that the wife of the deceased said that her husband was used to lodging in the hotel whenever he goes to Ile-Ife to sit his examination. On the strength of that, it is visible that he is a frequenter of the hotel. Given that the hotel charges, #18,000, in a place like Ile-Ife is a testament to the assumed level of security and satisfaction a customer could hope to have in comparison to the many #5000 and #10,000 hotels that abound around in the city of Ile-Ife.
On Wednesday, 8 December 2021, the reports of the autopsy conducted on the cadaver, Timothy Adegoke, the late Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) postgraduate student, was reported to have been submitted to the Nigeria Police headquarters in Abuja. News reports have it that, “a copy of the autopsy report was also made available to the Osun State police command for proper record keeping. “Severe trauma led to the death. I don’t know the type of trauma that he was subjected to before his death because the severe trauma that was arrived at was an open-ended conclusion.
Trauma could be as a result of hitting him with sticks or he falls, or sickness, or anything”. It is a saddening report at best and heartrending at worst.
The deceased sought safety by choosing Hilton Hotels above other hotels. He had an unshakeable trust in them by being a loyal customer to their brand. They said customers/guests are king and they are worth dying for. History has it that Adekunle Fajuyi— the black scorpion— died in defense of his guest, Aguiyi ironsi. But for Hilton Hotels and Resorts, their guest allegedly died for them. They have been suspected to be the killers of their guest.
Oludare Ogunlana was charged for a service to be rendered; he paid. He sought safety but he was unsafe. The brand he trusted has allegedly betrayed and butchered him. Given the seriousness with which the case is being treated and the interests that have been shown, so far, by both the media and the citizenry, should this case be justly solved, it may rekindle the hope of ordinary Nigerians in both the police and the courts. Consequently, the words of Robert F. Kennedy, the 64th President of the United States of America that goes, “The glory of justice and the majesty of law are created not just by the Constitution – nor by the courts – nor by the officers of the law – nor by the lawyers – but by the men and women who constitute our society – who are the protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law,” will come to pass.
Folorunso, Fatai Adisa writes in from Abeokuta.
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