On Thursday, October 18, 2024, Andrew Ominikoron, the driver of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle, continued his trial in the Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square, where he denied any involvement in the alleged rape and murder of 22-year-old fashion designer, Oluwabamise Ayanwole.
The defendant is facing multiple charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government, including rape, conspiracy, sexual assault, and murder.
During the hearing, Ominikoron, who began working as a BRT driver in September 2021, provided his account of the events that transpired on February 26, 2022, the day Ayanwole went missing.
He testified that he was on his second shift of the day, having started work at 1 pm, operating a route between Oshodi and Ajah. He admitted to illegally picking up passengers, a practice known as “Korokpe” among drivers, when heading back to Oshodi in the evening.
He stated that this was when he picked up Ayanwole at Chevron and three other male passengers at Agungi.
According to Ominikoron, after picking up these passengers, one of the male passengers moved toward him as if to pay his fare. However, the man threw something at his head and brandished a gun, ordering him to cooperate.
Ominikoron claimed that the assailants instructed him to divert the bus and put it in neutral. He explained that while the dim interior light of the bus was on, it wasn’t bright enough for outsiders to notice the illegal passengers inside.
Ominikoron’s defense counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, played an audio recording that Ayanwole made during the incident. Ominikoron claimed he had no knowledge of the recording until he heard it at Panti Police Station after his arrest, citing a language barrier that initially prevented him from understanding it.
The defendant also testified that he had never seen the three men before and could not identify them. He claimed that after the men pointed a gun at him, they forced him to follow their instructions while Ayanwole screamed for help.
He explained that after the men left the bus, he went to the back to search for her, but when he couldn’t find her, he drove the bus back to the 7-Up terminal in Oshodi.
Further in his defense, Ominikoron recounted how he spent the next day, Sunday, at home and later received a call on Monday to report to his office. It was then that he learned one of his passengers had gone missing. Ominikoron stated that fear of the consequences of illegal passenger pickup led him to flee the depot that day. He later confided in a friend in Ogun State, where he stayed temporarily.
When questioned about prior allegations, including a claim that he raped another woman, MaryJane, in November 2021, Ominikoron denied the accusations. He admitted knowing her but stated that they had never been intimate, and he had avoided her after giving her money for her sick child.
Additionally, the defendant denied another accusation that he attempted to rape a doctor in Ikorodu in December 2021, claiming he was not in the area at the time.
The court adjourned the case until October 21, 2024, for the continuation of Ominikoron’s defense.
