Ominikoron was arraigned for rape and murder of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Ayanwola, who boarded his BRT bus on February 26, 2022.

Justice Sherifat Sonaike found Ominikoron guilty of murder and attempted rape of Ayanwola.

She also found the convict guilty of raping Nneka Udezulu and sexually assaulting Dr Victoria Anosike, who had boarded his bus on separate occasions.

Sonaike said: “On count one, which is offence of raping Nneka Udezulu, Ominikoron, is sentenced to life imprisonment.

“For count three, attempted rape of Ayanwola, you are sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

“For count five, offence of sexual assault on Dr Victoria Anosike, you are sentenced to three years imprisonment.

“On count four, which is the offence of murder of Oluwabamise Ayanwola; having been found guilty of murder, a capital offence pursuant to Section 301 of the Administrative of Criminal Justice Law, the defendant is hereby sentenced  to death.

READ ALSO: A place for ‘babalawo’ in Journalism, By Simbo Olorunfemi

“You will be hanged by the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy on your soul,” she held.

The judge held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

According to her, the prosecution through its witnesses proved that the act of the defendant (Ominikoron) caused the death of the deceased (Ayanwola).

She said that the voice recording of the deceased which she sent to her friend while inside the defendant’s bus would be admitted as a dying declaration.

The judge said that the deceased voice recording was made when she felt she was in an imminent danger due to the behaviour of the defendant.

She also said that Ayanwola’s voice recording and the pieces of evidence given by the prosecution witnesses on the habit of the defendant in picking up unsuspecting passengers in a lonely area and sexually molesting them, even with threat and force, showed that the defendant was a serial rapist.

“All the circumstantial evidence coupled with the defendant’s refusal to report the matter to his office and his running away to a remote village before his arrest, shows a guilty mind.

“I find the ingredient of murder established beyond all reasonable doubt,” Sonaike held.

The judge said that the defendant lied all through his defence.

She said that the fact that the defendant said he regretted the death of Ayanwola was to play sentiment to the court.

Sonaike said: “The fact that the defendant committed these offences within three months interval shows that maybe there are more victims who because of shame failed to come forward.

“The defendant used his employment to rape unsuspecting passengers. This is an unforgivable crime.

“This case is an eye opener. There is need for government to overhaul the recruitment standard so that parents will be assured when their young girl board a vehicle.”

The prosecution called nine witnesses, while Ominikoron was a sole witness for the defence.

The Lagos State government had charged him with a five-count bordering on conspiracy, rape, attempted rape and murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.

He was arraigned on March 22, 2022, for the rape and murder of his 22-year-old passenger, on February 26, 2022, at the Lekki-Ajah Expressway.

The prosecution also said that the defendant also raped one Nneka Udezulu and sexually assaulted one Dr Victoria Anosike along Ikorodu Mile 12 axis of Lagos State.

The prosecution said that the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 223, 260, and 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Source: NAN

The post Oluwabamise: Court sentences BRT driver to death for murder appeared first on Frontpageng.

Magistrate O.A. Salawu, ordered that Ominnikoron be remanded for 30 days.

She held that Ominnikoron was to be remanded pending legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.

The defendant is charged with conspiracy, murder, rape and misconduct with regards to corpses.

The charge was read to the defendant but his plea was however, not taken by the court.

Salawu adjourned the case until April 11 for DPP advice.

Earlier, the officer in charge of the legal department at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Mrs Yetunde Cardoso, said that Ominnikoron committed the offence at 8 p.m. on February 26, along Ajah-Oshodi Expressway, on a Lagos State BRT bus with code number 257.

She said that Ominnikoron, who was on duty as a driver, raped Ayanwole, and pushed her out of the moving BRT bus.

The offence, she said, contravened the provisions of sections 411, 223, 260 and 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Sections 223 stipulates death penalty for the offence of murder, 260 provides for life imprisonment for rape and 165 carries five years imprisonment for misconduct with regards to corpses.

Source: NAN

The post Ayanwole: Court remands BRT driver for alleged murder, rape appeared first on Frontpageng.

He stressed that stiff punishment awaited anyone found culpable in what he described as a “criminal and dastardly act.”

Sanwo-Olu said the state government remained determined to pursue the matter transparently and to a logical conclusion, but cautioned those making attempt to twist the issue with unfounded insinuation and conjectures to desist from making comments that might pre-empt outcome of investigation being conducted by security agencies.

The governor said those raising allegations of cover-up against the state government were low-minded and had no conscience, stressing that there should be no reason for anyone to trivialise an incident that claimed the life of an innocent citizen.

Sanwo-Olu spoke to reporters during an event held on Tuesday at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan to commemorate International Women’s Day.

The governor said: “There is an investigation that is currently going on and because it is a criminal matter, only the police are empowered constitutionally to fully unravel all of the events that happened, which led to the death of the lady. The development has been condemned at the highest level of the government. I personally stand to condemn it and offer condolences to the family of our citizen, Oluwabamishe.

“I have read some narratives and write-ups in the social media in the last few hours. Some people are deliberately and extremely being sensational, posting that Lagos State government wants to cover something; even my person. These people trivialise life, which appears to me like they just want to score a cheap point. These people are of low minds and have no conscience.

“Our government will certainly not be deterred with such wicked narratives. What we are about is to ensure that we transparently get to the roots of the matter. That is why the police and the Department of State Service (DSS) picked up the driver, who ran to another state, where he was arrested. Full wrath of the law will be applied on whoever is found wanting in this matter. And we will ensure the incident does not repeat itself.”

Sanwo-Olu expressed confidence in the ability of the police to conduct thorough investigation and expose anyone or group of persons behind the death of the bus passenger.

The governor also reacted to some of the concerns raised by the public on safety measures put in place before the incident, especially on absence of short-circuit cameras in BRT buses.

He said there were inbuilt cameras and trackers in buses procured abroad for BRT operations.

However said that those acquired locally to shore up the BRT fleet did not have cameras.

The governor pointed out that the particular bus in which the slain victim rode was one of the buses locally supplied.

The governor promised that safety measures on government-owned buses would be improved upon in order to prevent re-occurrence of similar incident.

He, however, cautioned members of the public not to board BRT buses after the close of bus services in the evening, noting that buses that had closed for the day would indicate by switching off its inner lights.

When BRT drivers switch off their inner lights, Sanwo-Olu said the buses were expected to be taken back empty to their yards.

“Any bus that has its inner lights on at night is certainly still on service. Once the lights are off and the radar in the bus is not displaying, people should desist from boarding such bus, because it is no longer in service at that period. By that time, the checker and conductor would have been out of the bus, except the driver who is expected to take the empty bus back to their yards,” the governor said.

The post Ayanwole: Killers must answer for the crime -Sanwo-Olu appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday.

Ajisebutu said the suspect was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, and has been handed over to the police.

“The driver, who was suspected to be responsible for the adoption and murder of Ayanwole, who got missing on board a BRT bus on February 26, 2022 has been arrested by operatives of the DSS and has been handed over to the police,” he said.

He reassured the public that the suspect (driver) would soon be arraigned in court.

“The suspect will be made to face justice for this murderous act,” he stated.

Ajisebutu appealed to aggrieved persons and sympathisers not to take the law into their hands as the command was doing everything legally possible to ensure justice.

The 22-year-old lady was found dead on Monday on Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community, on Lagos Island.

Source: NAN

The post Ayanwole: Police arrest BRT driver appeared first on Frontpageng.