Human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) has urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to pay compensation to the family of the 22-year-old fashion designer Bamise Ayanwola, who was murdered by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver on February 26, 2022.
Adegboruwa argued that the government is under an obligation to compensate the family because the deceased’s death is directly linked to actions perpetrated by a government agent.
The lawyer, who made the demand in a statement issued in Lagos, reminded Sanwo-Olu that his government had compensated victims of the EndSARS 2020 protests, which were instigated mainly by police officers not under state control.
He, however, praised the state and law enforcement agencies for pursuing the case to its conclusion by proving the murder charge against the convict, Andrew Nice Ominikoron, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver.
Justice Serifat Sonaike of the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) had on May 2, 2025, convicted and sentenced Ominikoron to death by hanging for the murder of Ayanwole on February 26, 2022.
In addition to the murder charge, the court also convicted the convict of raping a 29-year-old woman, Nneka Maryjane Ozezulu, on November 25, 2021, without her consent.
Adegboruwa maintained that the conviction raised questions about the state’s vicarious liability since the crime occurred within the BRT facility owned and operated by the Lagos State Government.
He maintained that true justice in this case cannot be achieved without compensating Bamise’s family, and this compensation should be reasonable.
The senior lawyer also addressed several lessons learned from the case, he noted that the first rape victim’s reluctance to report the crime, influenced by negative public perceptions, cultural limitations, religious constraints, and a dismissive police mentality when victims seek help.
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