Justice Sherifat Sonaike of a Lagos State High Court, sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, has heard the circumstances that led to the raping and murdering of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwola, in February inside a BRT bus.
The deceased brother, Abegunde Ayanwola gave the narratives in his testimonies at the ongoing trial of the BRT driver, Andrew Nice Ominnikoron over alleged murder and rape.
Ominikoron was alleged of rape and murder of Bamise sometime in February inside a BRT bus.
He is also accused of raping another passenger, Maryjane Odezelu, on November 25, 2021.
In his evidence, the prosecution witness, Abegunde told the court that the deceased was the last child of ten children.
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He narrated to court how his Kano-based brother, Daniel, asking for their sister (Bamise).
He told court that, Daniel said he called home to find out if Bamise was in his house. But he was told that she wasn’t. And her colleague told him that Bamise was coming to his house on a surprise visit in order to be with his wife.”
“Then the lady told me that something happened in the bus that she boarded and she told me that it was a BRT bus. And I said that if she took the BRT bus she would be safe.”
Abegunde told the court that he became alarmed when the colleague sent the voice note they shared on WhatsApp.
He said he called his sister to report at the station.
He said that on Monday, he went to the BRT Terminal three, Oshodi to report the matter but he was directed to the Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL).
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He said, “We were referred to two CSO and they said that none of the drivers reported a case of a missing person. I asked to have access to their CCTV so that we can know what transpired in their vehicle,” he said.
He further said that the officials told him to get a police report in order to access their CCTV.
He said that they were “badly treated” at the police division and had to go back to the LBSL where one Mr. Aluko admitted that a bus was missing.
The prosecution witness said that he wrote a letter to the office of the commissioner of transportation, the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the state House of Assembly.
He said they reported the matter at the Jakande Police Division and the police boss said that it was no longer a case of a missing person but a kidnap case.
“Some guys on social media said we should release the phone number of Bamise to them because they wanted to track her number. After some time, they told us that we should go to Shagamu.
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“After some time, they said the phone has left that vicinity and is around Ososa village. We couldn’t find my sister. On March 7, someone said we should go and check Ebute-Ero police station.
“On getting there, we showed them the picture of my sister. My sister died on the night of 26 and the police took over the body. She was coming to my house, she was the only one who knew when my wife would deliver.”
At this point, the witness was in tears as he said Bamise died because “she was coming to my house.”
After he regained emotional stability, he further told court that he found his sister’s body at the morgue where it was tagged unknown. “Not up to 30 minutes after, my brother called and the driver of the vehicle was apprehended.”
However, the prosecution tendered the voice note exchanged by the deceased and her friend and court admitted as exhibit.
In the voice note exchange, the deceased said that she was alone in the bus, that the driver had refused to pick up other passengers.
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Later she sent another voice message that the driver had taken a lady and three males into the bus.
Then the friend sent a message asking if she had gotten to her bus-stop but the message wasn’t answered.
In his description on the body of the deceased, he said he saw traces of blood on the pubic area. “The damaged pubic area have traces of blood.”
The witness was therefore cross-examined by the defendant counsel, Mr. Abayomi Omotubora. He asked the witness to explain what he meant by “damaged lower part.”
The witness responded that, “She was a virgin. She was badly raped by maybe two or three men and you want me to describe that? I will not do that.”
The court subsequently adjourned further trial to October 25 and 31, 2022.
