KEY POINTS

• Andrew Ominikoron was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Bamise Ayanwola, with the court relying on circumstantial evidence, forensic reports, and the victim’s final voice note.

• While convicted for raping another passenger, Ominikoron was acquitted of raping Bamise due to insufficient medical evidence, though found guilty of attempted rape.

• The case highlighted failures in public transit safety, prompting demands for stricter driver vetting, better surveillance, and accountability measures to protect passengers, particularly women.

A Lagos High Court delivered a landmark verdict on Friday, sentencing Andrew Ominikoron, a Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, driver, to death by hanging for the 2022 murder of 22-year-old fashion designer Oluwabamise Ayanwola.

According to Channelstv, Justice Serifat Sonaike of the Tafawa Balewa Square court ruled that the Lagos State Government proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ominikoron was responsible for Bamise’s death, citing circumstantial evidence, forensic pathology reports, and a chilling voice note the victim sent moments before her disappearance.

“You will be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy upon you,” Justice Sonaike declared, closing a case that has haunted Nigeria’s commercial capital for three years.

Ominikoron was also convicted for the 2021 rape of 29-year-old Nneka Maryjane Ozezulu, another passenger, with the court noting his pattern of preying on women.

Testimonies from survivors and Bamise’s final voice note—where she described feeling unsafe in his bus—painted a damning picture. However, the judge acquitted him of raping Bamise due to insufficient medical evidence of penetration, instead convicting him of attempted rape.

“The voice note confirmed she did not consent,” Justice Sonaike emphasized, “but the absence of conclusive physical proof limits the charge.”

Survivors demand systemic overhaul of BRT

The case has reignited debates over public transportation safety and accountability. Bamise’s murder, which occurred on February 26, 2022, after she boarded Ominikoron’s BRT bus in Chevron, Lekki, exposed glaring vulnerabilities in Lagos’s transit system.

Despite being hailed as a model of urban efficiency, the BRT network has faced scrutiny since her death, with activists citing poor surveillance, lax driver vetting, and delayed emergency responses. “This sentence is justice for Bamise, but how many more women must suffer?” asked Adebola Adeyemi, founder of Safe Transport Nigeria. “Drivers with criminal histories still operate these buses. The system is broken.”

Public outrage surged during the trial as details emerged of Ominikoron’s history. Prosecutors revealed he allegedly assaulted multiple women, leveraging his role to isolate passengers. Yet, prior complaints went unaddressed.

“He was a predator in uniform,” said Ozezulu, whose testimony helped secure his rape conviction. Meanwhile, Bamise’s family expressed relief but unresolved grief. “No verdict will bring her back,” her brother, Taiwo Ayanwola, told reporters outside the court. “We need guarantees this won’t happen again.”

The Lagos State Government has since introduced mandatory background checks for BRT drivers and GPS tracking in buses, but advocacy groups argue enforcement remains inconsistent. “Technology means nothing without accountability,” said Amnesty International’s Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi. “Women deserve safe commutes, not empty promises.”