On Friday, a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, ruled that a 47-year-old Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Driver, Andrew Ominnikoron, be held in custody in Ikoyi Custodial Centre for the alleged rape and murder of a 22-year-old girl, Oluwabamise Ayanwole.

While awaiting legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ominnikoron is to be remanded for at least 30 days.

Ominnikoron is charged with a 4-count of rape, murder, conspiracy, and interference with a corpse.

The Officer in Charge of the Legal Department at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Mrs. Yetunde Cardoso, reported that Ominnikoron committed the offence at 8 p.m. on Feb. 26, along Ajah-Oshodi expressway, on a Lagos State BRT bus with code number 257.

Bamise Ayanwole, a fashion designer at Chevron estate, was leaving work on Feb. 26, when she boarded a bus heading to Oshodi from Chevron bus stop. According to messages sent by Bamise to friends while on the bus, Bamise had felt uneasy since boarding the bus, as the driver did not stop for other passengers and asked Bamise to sit at the back although the bus was empty.

Bamise’s corpse, with some private parts missing, was found on Mar. 7, on Carter Bridge by members of the Ogogoro Community in Lagos Lagos Island.

BRT’s long-standing reputation is that it is a highly safe and reliable system of transport. This incident has greatly challenged this claim.

The deceased’s family have called for justice to be served, urging the police and government to take a strong stance against such acts of violence against women. The incident has also taken social media by storm, as women across Nigeria grieve the loss of a fellow young woman and express their fear at the common occurrence of such incidents even in supposedly safe environments.

FAME Foundation calls on the Lagos Government, authorities, and the public to ensure #JusticeForBamise and further put in place measures to prevent future occurrences for the safety of women and the public.