Oluwabamise Ayanwole: Court Remands BRT Driver Till April 11

A Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos yesterday ordered the remand of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Mr. Andrew Nice Ominnikoron, for 30 days.

Ominnikoron was suspected of involvement in the death of his passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwole.

Magistrate O. A. Salawu made the order following an application by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Yaba, Lagos.

Recall that Bamise went missing after she boarded a BRT bus driven by Nice at the Ajah axis of the state on February 26.

Nine days later, the corpse of the 22-year-old was found at Carter Bridge in Lagos Island.

Subsequently, Nice was arrested by officials of the Department of State Services in Ogun State after he fled Lagos.

Salawu, who stood in for Chief Magistrate Tunbosun Adedayo, ruled that Ominnikoron, 42, be kept in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services’ (NCoS) Ikoyi facility pending advice on the matter from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

She adjourned till April 11 for the DPP’s advice.

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The police backed its remand application with a temporary four-count charge marked A/26/2022 filed by Lagos State Police Command head of legal section, Superintendent Yetunde Cardoso.

The charge, sighted by The Nation, accused Ominnikoron of murder, misconduct towards a corpse, sexual assault and interference with a corpse.

It reads in part: “That you ANDREW NICE OMINNIKORON and others still at large on 26th day of February 2022 at about 2000hrs, along Ajah-Oshodi Expressway Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to wit: murder and misconduct to a corpse and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015

“That you ANDREW NICE OMINNIKORON and others still at large, on the 26th day of February 2022 at about 2000hrs, along Ajah-Oshodi Expressway Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, whilst on duty as a BRT driver within the metropolis with BRT BUS CODE NUMBER 257 did intentionally push one AYANWOLE OLUWABAMISE F Aged 22yrs (Now Deceased) forcefully pushed her out of moving BRT Bus, abandoned and absconded the scene, and thereby, committed an offence punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015

“That you ANDREW NICE OMINNIKORON and others still at large, on the 26th day of February 2022 at about 2000hrs, along Ajah-Oshodi Expressway Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, whilst on duty as a BRT driver within the metropolis with BRT BUS CODE NUMBER 257 did forcefully had sexual intercourse with Late AYANWOLE OLUWABAMISE ‘F’ Aged 22yrs (Now Deceased) and thereafter, pushed her out of the moving BRT Bus, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 260 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.

“That you ANDREW NICE OMINNIKORON ‘M’ and others still at large, on the 26th day of February 2022 at about 2000hrs, along Ajah-Oshodi Expressway Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, whilst on duty as a BRT driver within the metropolis with BRT BUS CODE NUMBER 257 did improperly or indecently interfere with the corpse of Late AYANWOLE OLUWABAMISE ‘F’ by dumping the deceased along the express concrete pavement, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”

Ayanwola, 22, was found dead last Monday on Carter Bridge, Lagos Island — nine days after she was declared missing after she boarded Nice’s vehicle.

She got missing while returning to Ota from Ajah on Saturday, February 26 after she boarded a BRT bus with number 240257 going to Oshodi at about 7pm at Chevron Bus-Stop.

The victim worked as a fashion designer in Ajah and spent weekends in Ota, Ogun State, with her sister.