₦airaland Forum

Bamise: Medical Doctor Narrates How She Escaped Being Raped By Arrested BRT Driver
Many Nigerians have registered their displeasure on various social media platforms and called for an urgent prosecution of the driver in the interest of justice.

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKMAR 12, 2022

Onyinyechi Anoke, a medical doctor, has narrated how she escaped an alleged attempted raped by Nice Omininikoron, the driver of the Bus Rapid Transit vehicle arrested in connection with the murder of a passenger, Oluwabamise Ayankole.

This is coming few hours after a lady, who once boarded a BRT bus driven by the embattled driver accused him of raping her when she boarded his vehicle on November 25, 2021.

The female victim had in an interview with PUNCH revealed that she had boarded the vehicle at night and was the only passenger, an opportunity which Omininikoron seized to defile her.

Many Nigerians have registered their displeasure on various social media platforms and called for an urgent prosecution of the driver in the interest of justice.

They also urged other female passengers to speak up on their encounters with the BRT drivers in Lagos State.

There have been calls for justice for Bamise, whose corpse was recovered at Ebute Ero, after she was last seen on the BRT bus driven by Omininikoron.

In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, Anoke, a medical doctor, who is in her late 20s, said she was returning from a friend’s house on the day she had an encounter with the BRT driver.

She said she tried booking Uber, a mobility service provider, for a trip back to her destination in Ketu but the booking was not successful because the drivers were far from her destination.

The medical doctor added she and her friend who escorted her to the bus stop decided to opt for a commercial bus instead and after some time of waiting a BRT bus arrived, and she boarded.

During the trip, she said she observed that the driver did not follow the special lane meant for BRT buses but instead decided to follow the normal lane.

She said the BRT bus driver did not pick up any passenger in subsequent bus stops.

According to her, she began to sense danger when the bus driver began to ask questions about her personal details while also making love advances.

"He (referring to Andrew) talked about spending the night with him, and all the nonsense, but I politely deflected with the excuse that I’ve already stayed out much later than agreed and my parents were calling me, but that I could see him the next day, or even spend the entire weekend (weekend I would already be in Asaba )," she wrote on Facebook.

"It's actually not funny. From the conversation he said his name was Andrew, he doesn't usually ply that route, that he’s more on the Island, and lives in Sagamu and would most likely not see me again, that I’m scamming him.

"By this time, he had gotten to the next bus stop, still refused to pick anybody, instead moved ahead a bit and parked, and put out the bus lights. There was stark darkness within, though the street lights illuminated the surroundings so I could see people but no one could see me.

"How do I signal these passers-by for help? Everywhere was still tightly locked in all of this so all conversations were contained within. He said we should move to the back row and talk better.

"My body language kept speaking unease, and I kept looking at my wrist watch signalling to him that I was late and we could meet earlier the next day, anywhere he wanted and talk as long as he wanted.

"By this time, he had already collected my phone numbers (yeah, he ensured to collect the 2 lines he saw on my phone, dialled both to ensure I wasn’t giving him wrong numbers and saw them ring). As earlier said, my best bet at safety was to go with the flow, while strategising for better options, and so I did.

"Baba dragged me by the hands, and as usual I didn’t struggle but followed him to the back row. By now it was established in my head that this is most likely going to end as an attempted but failed rape case (I didn’t even think for a second that it was going to be successful.

"My fight response was on a high and I racked my brain for all the possible things I could do to temporarily subdue him and be hitting the bus till people from outside noticed me.

"I'd had three such previous attempts in younger years and God somehow always helped me escape untouched from those locked rooms so he wouldn’t allow this infidel to do this now. I would rather die than let it happen (though the picture in my head was more of me harming him with his weapon if he brought out any).

"I had a feeling he might stab me and I kept looking out for any attempts of him bringing out a pocket knife and how I was going to struggle for and collect it (blame too much crime and thriller novels).

"As he made to run his hands on my body indiscriminately, I subtly pushed him away, curled into myself and used my elbow as a wedge. He flared up, saying if I said I liked him just like he liked me, why am I resisting.

"I told him I’m just anxious to get home already that's why, not because I didn't like him. He just kept acting weird and looking outside to one direction most of the time. Guess he was looking out for someone or something.

"After a while, he got frustrated and moved back to his driver seat and continued the journey. As he just moved, my mom's call came in coincidentally, and I ensured to put it on speaker, tell her which bus stop we just left and that I would be home in about five minutes. He drove in silence for the rest of the trip until we got to my bus stop and he opened the door and decided to pick passengers."

Onyinyechi also shared a screenshot showing she had a call history with the BRT bus driver on December 29, 2021.

lordchiz:
This matter weak me pass Mattias.....
That Lagos ehhhhh....
I dey fear am pass Kaduna ooooo

alphaNomega:
Don't worry, another victim will share their own BRT encounter. All for clout

nzeobi:
If you had reported or made this post earlier bamise would have been saved.

ashawopikin:
or she'll be tagged a clout chaser

Bamise’s Murder: Family Accuses Lagos Government Of Delay In BRT Driver's Trial, Failure To Arrest Fleeing Suspects

February 27, 2025
NEWS

The family of Oluwabamise Ayanwola, a 22-year-old woman who went missing after boarding a Bus Rapid Transit vehicle (BRT) in Lagos, has accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government of cover-up in Bamise’s death.

The family made the accusation as February 28, 2025, marked the third year Bamise was killed after boarding the BRT bus while returning from work.

The family accused the state government of deliberate delay in the trial of the arrested BRT driver, Andrew Nice Ominikoron, who was arrested in connection with Bamise’s death.

The family also accused the state government of deliberate failure to arrest the rest of the fleeing suspects involved in the crime, saying that nothing passes the eyes of the government unless the government decides not to take the necessary actions.

Bamise went missing after she boarded a BRT vehicle from Chevron Bus Stop, Ajah to Oshodi around 7pm on February 26, 2022.

During the journey, the fashion designer was said to have observed that the driver was not picking up other passengers at subsequent bus stops along the route.

Disturbed, she messaged her friend and sent voice notes detailing her predicament. It was the last time her friend and family members heard from her and she was later declared missing.

She was later found dead on Carter Bridge, according to the Lagos State Police Command.

Speaking during an X Space organised by SaharaReporters in collaboration with Objectiv Media, one of Bamise’s elder brothers, Pelumi said, “As I speak to you, we are still in the struggle for justice. We are in the process of filing the final written address which was supposed to have happened like three months after the case started (in 2022).

“Because every evidence that is needed to prosecute the case, Bamise was able to make some recordings before she was killed. But it has been adjournment upon adjournment till now.

“Meanwhile, the Lagos State government gave a powerful delegation including the then Attorney General of the state, Moyosore Onigbanjo, the DPP Director, Dr. Babajide Martins, in their prowess and other lawyers in the matter could not unravel all other accomplices that were involved.

“Because we were made to know that two males and a lady entered the vehicle before she was murdered. But only the BRT driver is being tried now in the court. Unfortunately, I can’t say we are having a headway.”

The family noted that after the incident happened, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s wife visited the family once and with her visit and the legal delegation from the government, “We were like thank God the government is involved in this matter and that the matter would be swift.”

Pelumi further said, “When the wife visited, she told our family that Mr. Governor is with us and that he would do all he can and he promised to also come to pay condolence and support us.

“I am not aware if Mr. Governor has come to our house because I have not seen him. Some people said he has come but I have not seen him. I am not aware and none of my family members have received him in our house.”

He added, “Because of the reassuring voice of the governor then, we were not actually giving the media attention then because we felt like, since the number one man in the state is into the matter, it was going to be very swift.

“But since that time till now, it has not been easy. My parents are not the same again. Myself is not the same again. I can be very lively now and in the next moment I’m completely broken. The same thing with my parents and the other siblings. Everybody is broken.

“The support system we were getting from the Community for Development of Human Rights (CDHR) and from some well wishers who were following us at the initial stage, we are not getting them again.

“This is the third year and it is like the whole world and all the people that care about the matter have all forgotten us. Most of the time if we are going to court, we would have to tax ourselves.

“It was at the initial stage that we used to see some delegation from the government but after some time, nothing again.”

He noted that their former lawyer, Mr. Ogunlano did what he needed to do and fought for fiat so that the family could do the prosecution by themselves and enable the family to hire a private lawyer for the prosecution but the government refused to give the fiat.

“The state assured us that they were going to do whatever it takes to get justice in this matter but here we are, nothing has happened.”

Pelumi questioned, “Does anything pass the eyes of the government? I don’t think anything passes the eyes of the government. This government has all the arsenal it can use to unravel everything that happened inside that vehicle.

“The fact of CCTV and no CCTV is very controversial. Mr. Governor has gone back and forth on it and that shows that the syndicates are very powerful.

“But what investigation did the police do? It was DSS that went to pick the man (BRT driver) from where he was with his friend. They released his friend because they said the driver said the friend was not part of it.”

According to Pelumi, what is going on in court is indescribable because the driver ,” Is becoming chubby, more handsome and relaxed.

“In his steppings you will see somebody that has been reassured of something somehow.

“Meanwhile, in my family, it is everyday crying. My mother can be talking to somebody and in the next minute she is silent, and when she is silent like that, it means she is thinking about it again and that happens everyday, sometimes thrice a day.

“They now look older than their age. Even by their communication shows that they are not alright. They are not well. Both of them, their legs are not okay again. They cannot walk for five minutes without resting. It has taken a lot of toll on them.”

According to him, the autopsy results by a private pathologist and the government pathologist corresponded but the forensic analysis that would establish whether Bamise was gang-raped has not been released till date.

Asked if the family is suspecting that the suspects are being shielded and protected by the state, Pelumi said, “What we first saw on the Facebook post was that the BRT bus stopped at Carter Bridge along with an SUV vehicle.

“Those people alighted from the vehicle and went straight into the BRT bus. When they first asked the driver why he ran, he said because of what “we” did to Bamise.

“But after it was repackaged by TVC, that was the story of, “they pointed a gun at me” came up.

“How can I feel when the record that Bamise gave before the incident showed clearly that this is a syndicate. He (driver) refused to pick up other passengers until he got to where his own people were.

“The lady (Bamise) was relieved that he had picked up other passengers not knowing they were his people. Why was Bamise's phone with him (the driver)?
“When he was caught, he was not caught alone. Somebody was with him but nothing has happened.

“When we went to the BRT station, there was one Raphael that said he knew his (the driver) whereabouts. That they see everyday.

“That he knows him very well. And that Bamise had alighted from the vehicle to go and visit her boyfriend, until we showed them the video and the voice note she did. After that, we did not see that man again.

“So, who owns the SUV? They dropped from the vehicle, dragged her out of the bus and carried her.

“All her belongings were inside the BRT bus until the man went to pack them, the lady among them washed the place, yet, those people that did the cleaning were not involved in the court to come and answer.

“How come she did the clean up, saw blood and did not report it. What happened to the driver's call log? We also do not believe that there is no CCTV in the BRT bus.

“It is hard to convince us that there was no CCTV there and it is very difficult for them to claim that they don't see it because I believe that nothing passes the eyes of the government.”

Pelumi said that the incident has completely broken his family's trust on anything concerning the government, including the sight of Lagos government colours and BRT lanes in the state.

He said, “Because of this long time of back and forth, my parents now only say, ‘well, this one has happened and it has happened.

“‘Although until I am buried I will not forget it, if they like, let them do the right thing, if they don't, let them do whatever they want to do.’
“That means, for us to have a kind of respite, there is nothing they can do that will replace Bamise but let justice be holistic.

“If it is not absolutely total, let us see that indeed, you (the government) are doing something to unravel every person that is involved in this criminal act.

“If we are seeing all these things…, based on the governor's call, we hoped the matter would be swift but later, the reverse becomes the case, how do we then believe the government again?

“Do we have to continue using the media to broadcast the matter before something is done in a state that has failed to preserve us?
“For them to really make us have a kind of respite, justice must be holistic. Otherwise, we will just believe that they have done their own, God will do his own.

“For me, none of my family members can ever patronise BRT buses. I get agitated when passing their lanes.

“When we went for Bamise's funeral, they wanted to use the small BRT bus to convey us back home but everybody rejected it. We don't want it.”

He insisted that there could only be some respite when the state government brings everyone that is involved in this criminal act to justice.

Recall that Bamise’s sister had made a similar complaint in September 2023 when she narrated how the government abandoned the prosecution of her sister’s suspected killer.

[color=orange]Source[/color]

OLAADEGBU:
The family accused the state government of deliberate delay in the trial of the arrested BRT driver, Andrew Nice Ominikoron, who was arrested in connection with Bamise’s death.

An uber driver was asked to deliver an iPhone 16 worth #1.2m from Egbeda to ikeja,after collecting the phone and left the location. he canceled the ride,stopped picking calls and went ghost, till they traced him to his house with soldiers, his wife was shocked that he sold it… pic.twitter.com/01UP2jNrgr

— ABEFE 🤌🏿 🤌🏿 (@KvngGenerous) April 24, 2026