The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Andrew Omininikoron, who was accused of the murder of his 22-year-old passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwola, yesterday denied the allegations at the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
Omininikoron, who was testifying on his behalf, pointed accusing fingers at three other unidentified passengers as the culprits.
He claimed in his testimony before the trial judge, Justice Sherifat Shonaike, that it was the three male passengers who allegedly boarded his bus after official hours that raped the deceased and later threw her off the vehicle at gunpoint.
The Lagos State government had arraigned the defendant before the court on a four-count charge of conspiracy, murder, and two counts of rape.
The prosecutor has insisted that the offences are contrary to and punishable under Sections 411,223,260 and 165 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
While being led in evidence by his lawyers, Abayomi Omotubora, the defendant testified that he illegally picked up the deceased at the Chevron bus stop on a return trip to Oshodi after he had off-loaded passengers on the Oshodi – Ajah route at around 8 pm that day.
He claimed, “I started my shift at our Oshodi office that afternoon. I loaded my bus with passengers headed to Ajah. After dropping them off in Ajah, I took a return trip with a new set of passengers to Oshodi, unloaded them, and then loaded another group for Ajah.
“By around 8 PM, I could not take on more passengers going to Oshodi. However, we often pick up passengers after 8 PM and tell them that the cowry machine is not working so they can pay the bus fare in cash, allowing us to keep the money for ourselves. Our salary is insufficient; we were promised N120,000 monthly but only received N71,000. When we load passengers after official hours, we make them sit at the back of the bus and dim the bright lights so the surveillance cameras on our routes won’t spot them.”
He added that shortly after Bamise boarded his bus, he picked up three more male passengers at the Agungi bus stop. On getting to Osbourne under the bridge, the defendant alleged that one of the men walked up to him in the driver’s seat and pointed a gun at him, ordering him to cooperate with them.
He said he had never seen them before and could only recognise the one who pointed a gun at him.
“The driver’s seat usually has a glass around the driver, like a room to oneself, but the bus I drove that day had no door. I was heading towards the third mainland bridge, but they ordered me to drive to Carter Bridge.
“The three men dragged her down, she was shouting for help, and they raped her. They pushed her off the bus and alighted afterwards while I continued my trip. On getting to Oshodi, I parked the bus and went home.
“That day was a Saturday; I was off duty the next day. On Monday, I was going to work when my MD called me to report to see my depot manager (Mr Ola) at Oshodi. When I arrived, I was told not to drive any bus but to wait. While waiting, a colleague asked me why I picked up a passenger illegally, as she had now gone missing. When I heard that, I was afraid and fled because I knew my employers would not take it easy with me. My MD used to say that he would spend one million naira to deal with anyone who stole one hundred naira from him. Picking passengers illegally amounts to stealing from the company.”
The defendant told the court further that he fled to Ososa, Ogun State, to stay with his friend (Hope), and that is where DSS officials arrested them.
When he was asked if he was aware the deceased was sending voice notes to her friend that night expressing her misgivings about the other passengers on the bus, he said he didn’t know.
The defendant also denied sexually assaulting two other women (names withheld) on his bus at different intervals before the alleged incident with Bamise and that he wasn’t questioned about the women, never were they presented to him, while under police custody. He said he dated one of them but broke up with her because she always asked him for money.
Justice Sonaike has adjourned the case to October 21 to continue the trial.
