A Superintendent of Police, Goddy Ihende, has told a Lagos
State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square that a driver of the Lagos
Bus Rapid Transit, Andrew Ominikoron, who allegedly r@aped and murdered his
passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwole, always raped his victims in secluded places.
The witness said apart from the deceased, the defendant
attempted to r@ape one Doctor Victoria Anieke.
He said the incident happened on December 29, 2021, when
Anieke, who resided in Delta State, came to visit her parents and friend, who
resided in the Ketu and Ikorodu areas of Lagos, respectively.
Ihende, who is the seventh prosecution witness, told Justice
Sherifat Sonaike that the modus operandi of the defendant was to carry his
victims alone and go to secluded places to r@@ape them.
At the resumed hearing of the trial on Tuesday, the witness,
who was led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide
Martins, said he took over the defendant’s case on March 7, 2022, from the
Department of State Services.
He said when the matter got to the Homicide Section of the
State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, the defendant narrated to him
what happened on February 26, when 22-year-old Oluwabamise boarded his bus.
He said, “I took the defendant to our office and asked him
to narrate what exactly happened on February 26. After his narration, I asked
him to write it in a statement; he said he couldn’t write it and asked us to
assist him in writing the statement.
“Ominnikoron agreed to pick Bamise from Chevron Bus-Stop at
7 pm and he also said he picked up two men at two bus stops after Chevron and
one of them pulled a gun on him and ordered him to drive towards Ebute-Ero. He
said when they got there, they all alighted from the bus and the two men
started fighting.
“He said he thought Bamise had gotten back into the bus when
he drove off to their depot at 7-Up.
“I asked him why he didn’t report the case at a police
station on his way back to their depot or to his boss when he got to their
depot, and he said he was afraid and could not tell the company because he
contravened the rule of not picking passengers after 6 pm.
“He said the next day was his off day, so he went to see his
friend. As soon as I took his statement, I took him to my immediate boss, ASP
Razak Oseni, and he narrated exactly what he told me before my boss.
“My investigation of the defendant revealed that he took his
victims to secluded places, switched off the light inside the bus and r@aped his
victims.
“On March 29, 2022, I
travelled to Delta State and when I met Dr Anieke, I asked her how she got to
know about the defendant. She said it was on the Internet and when she zoomed
the picture of Bamise and the defendant, which was placed side by side, she
discovered that he was the same driver that attempted to ra@pe her.
“Before Bamise, he succeeded in raping another passenger,
Maryjane, on November 25, 2021.”
Ominnikoron is facing five counts of ra@pe, conspiracy,
felony, se..xual assault, and murder, preferred against him by the Lagos State
government.
The prosecution said the defendant on November 25, 2021,
allegedly ra@ped a 29-year-old lady, Maryjane.
The police witness told the court that the statement of the
defendant was recorded in a video.
When the prosecution sought to tender the recorded video in
evidence, the defence counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, objected to the admissibility
of the compact disc.
He said the statement of the defendant was not taken
voluntarily and asked the court to conduct the trial within trial.
After listening to the argument of both counsels, Justice
Sonaike adjourned till October 31 for trial within the trial.
Earlier, the defence counsel, Omotubora, told the court that
the defence wished to recall the 2nd, 3rd and 4th witnesses for further
cross-examination.
On the last adjourned date, October 2, Bamise’s elder brother,
Agbegunde Pelumi, told the court how the lower part of the deceased was
damaged.
He noted that she was a virgin and was coming to his house
on a surprise visit when she was ki!led.
Pelumi said his sister was “badly raped by two or three men” when he saw her in the morgue.
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