The Bus Rapid Transit driver, Andrew Ominikoron, standing trial for allegedly raping and murdering 22-year-old fashion designer, Oluwabamise Ayanwole, on Thursday, opened his defence.
Ominikoron, who testified in his defence before the Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square, told the court that he did not rape nor kill Oluwabamise.
He testified that he became a bus captain of the BRT in September 2021.
The defence witness narrated to Justice Sherifat Sonaike that on February 26, 2022, he was on an afternoon shift, which he resumed by 1 pm, and his route was from Oshodi to Ajah.
He said he made a round trip and went on the second trip back to Ajah, saying that it was already around 7 to 8 pm. He said he couldn’t continue working but decided to illegally pick passengers while going back to Oshodi, a term he and his colleague call Korokpe.
The defendant is standing trial bordering on rape, conspiracy, felony, sexual assault, and murder brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
According to the charges, the incident occurred on February 26, 2022, around 7 pm, near the Conservation Centre, Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Lagos.
The prosecution alleged that Ominikoron forcibly had sexual intercourse with Oluwabamise Ayanwole before murdering her.
The alleged offences, they say, contravened Sections 411, 223, 260, and 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
On the last adjourned date on June 24, the trial was stalled due to the defendant’s leg injury sustained in prison.
An official from the Ikoyi Correctional Centre informed the court that Ominikoron fell in the bathroom on Sunday, June 23, 2024, injuring his left leg, which caused his absence in court.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, told the court that the case had been stalled since November last year and then told the court that the business of the day was for the defence to open its case.
The judge therefore ordered the defence to open its case. Ominikoron, who was led in his defence witness by his counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, told the court that he picked the late Bamishe at Chevron, and three male passengers at Agungi.
According to him, one of the male passengers was coming forward, and he thought it was to pay him, then the passenger threw something at his head and showed him a gun, asking him to cooperate.
The defendant explained that when they pick up passengers illegally, they usually tell them to sit at the back so that officials of the BRT services on monitoring would not see them in the bus and sanction the drivers.
He said he followed the instructions of the man who asked him to divert his route and told him to put his vehicle on neutral.
The defendant further explained that the light inside the bus was on but it was the dim light since he was avoiding being caught for picking passengers.
He said,” The light that was on was enough for those in the bus to see, but wasn’t bright enough for those outside to see the bus.”
Omotubora then called for the audio recording of Bamishe, which was played in the open court.