Crimes

Oluwabamise’s murder: Court remands BRT driver for 30 days

A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Yaba, Lagos State, has remanded a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Andrew Omininikoron, who was arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a passenger, Oluwabamise Ayankole, for 30 days.

Magistrate O.A. Salawu ordered that Omininikoron be remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre for 30 days following an application by the police on Friday.

She ordered that Ominnikoron, who is charged with conspiracy, murder, rape and misconduct with regards to corpses, be remanded pending legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Salawu, therefore, adjourned the case until April 11 for DPP advice.

Earlier, the officer in charge of the Legal department at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Mrs Yetunde Cardoso, said told the court that Omininikoron committed the offence at 8p.m. on February 26, 2022, along Ajah-Oshodi expressway, on a Lagos State BRT bus with code number 257.

She added that the defendant, who was on duty as a driver, raped Ayanwole, and pushed her out of the moving BRT bus.

The offence, she said, contravened the provisions of sections 411, 223, 260 and 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

It would be recalled that the Lagos State Police Command, on Monday, confirmed that Ayanwole, who got missing in transit while onboard the BRT bus, had been found dead.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, who made the disclosure, added that the driver of the BRT bus involved in the unfortunate incident had been arrested by security operatives.

The police spokesperson revealed that the abductors of the 22-year-old fashion designer dumped her remains on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community

This is just as the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while reacting to the incident, assured that justice would be served over the murder of the 22-year-old lady.

The Star recalls that 22-year-old Ayanwole was reported to have got missing while returning to Sango Ota, Ogun State, from Ajah in Lagos State on February 26, 2022, when she boarded a BRT bus with number 240257 going to Oshodi at about 7 pm at Chevron Bus-Stop.

It was gathered that the victim, who worked as a Fashion Designer at Chevron Estate in Ajah, spent her weekends in Ota, Ogun State, with her sister.

According to her mother, Oluwabamise, who sensed danger after the BRT bus did not pick any other passenger at subsequent bus stops, engaged a friend using voice notes on her phone.

The voice notes showed that the bus driver said he liked Oluwabamise and asked for her name and other details.

She was said to have told her friend to pray for her as she became suspicious of the bus driver.

It was further gathered Oluwabamise sent a video to her friend showing how dark it was in the bus.

“There are three men and one woman in the bus. The woman is sitting at the back. Please pray for me,” the 22-year-old lady was said to have told her friend.

The Star