Three Years After, BRT Driver To Die By Hanging Over Bamise’s Murder
Barely three years after the murder of 22-year-old Oluwabamise Ayanwola, Justice Sherifat Sonaike of the Lagos State High Court, sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square Annexe, has sentenced the Bus Rapid Transit driver, Andrew Ominikoron, to death by hanging for engaging in the dastardly act.
Ominikoron was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on murder, conspiracy, and rape, in connection with the death of Ayanwola, as well as the sexual assault of Dr. Anosike Victoria and the rape of one Maryland Ojiezelu.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Delivering judgment today (Friday), Justice Sonaike ruled that the Lagos State Government, which prosecuted the case, had successfully proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“For the death of Oluwabamise Ayanwola, you will be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy upon you,” the judge declared.
Recall that remains of Bamise Ayanwola, who was found dead after boarding a bus belonging to the Bus Rapid Transport scheme in February, were buried on Friday December 2022, at Atan Cemetery, Yaba.
Bamise, a fashion designer, went missing after boarding a bus at the Chevron area of Lekki on her way to Oshodi. Her body was found days later.
Damilola Titilayo Ayanwola, elder sister of the murdered lady on Lagos BRT, Bamise Ayanwola, later revealed how her sister died in pain.
Damilola narrated that the private part of Bamise was cut while she was still alive.
Narrating Bamise’s last moments, Damilola said, “Governor Sanwo-Olu, I am challenging you. My family is not wealthy, we are not influential but we have God. We work hard and struggle to survive. We are content with what we have. We are Christians to the core. Why has our last born been used for the things of the world? This is a money ritual case.
“They made her (Bamise) to suffer life, they removed her private part. They did not kill her o, she suffered the pain and hell on earth before she moved to her destination.
“They forced her to stop at the bus stop she was not supposed to stop.”
Describing the late Bamise, she said: “Bamise was patient, joyful person, she makes everyone happy in the family”.
“He (driver) said all these that it was an attack, why didn’t he report to their terminal that there was an attack? He didn’t report to the police station or his superiors.
“He now resumed back to work on Monday, please if this was an attack, why was he able to resume back to work on Monday?
“We met a man at the park who said Bamise had gone to enjoy herself that she will call us, and that she does not want to call now, because she was enjoying herself, while in pains where they were cutting her private part.
“They did not kill her before they cut her private part. My sister experienced hell-in-cell situation like that of wrestling before her last breath on earth.
“My mum who is 74 years old, and my Dad 84 years old, in the morning time, they didn’t mourn over any one of us the children, at this phase of their life, they are enjoying the little token that we are rendering to them.
“They used the death of Bamise to cause sorrow for the family. She had a dream to become a fashion designer and she was doing brilliantly well in the training but look at what they’ve caused. Please we want Justice.”
The distraught mother, Comfort, who spoke with The Nation, said “All I want is justice which must be the truth and not any thing that will cause those at the helm of affairs to tamper with the truth.
“I’m from Otun Ekiti, I call on the Ekiti state government to help us. Bamise is a prominent daughter of Ekiti. Please Lagos state and Ekiti state govts respectively should collaborate and come together, I don’t have anyone except God.
“If not for God that had said that her (Bamise’s) time is up on earth, the handset she had before her demise was a new one because the one she was using was faulty.”
