A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has accused the Lagos State Government of cover-up in the barbaric murder of 22-year-old Bus Rapid Transit passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwole.
The senior lawyer said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration must come out clean on the matter and stop “criminally packaging” the BRT driver and prime suspect in the case, Andrew Nice, who drove the victim when her abduction occurred.
Viral videos show that the driver when apprehended by the Department of State Services confessed to having raped the deceased but in a follow-up video in branded government outfit, Nice recanted.
Adegboruwa said the Sanwo-Olu government has a lot of questions to answer and therefore urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to take up the case for justice to be served.
The senior advocate made this known in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘Murder inside BRT: IGP and Federal Government should take over investigation’.
The PUNCH had reported that the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, announced that the driver was arrested on Monday and the dead body of the victim found.
According to the PPRO, the suspected ritualists dumped the dismembered and uncompleted remains of the lady on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community.
Ayanwola got missing while returning to Ota from Ajah on February 26 when she boarded a BRT bus with number 240257 going to Oshodi at about 7pm at Chevron Bus-Stop.
The victim, who worked as a fashion designer in Ajah spent her weekends in Ota, Ogun State, with her sister, had sent some voice notes to a friend when she sensed danger on the bus.
It’ll be irresponsible of Sanwo-Olu to cover up murder case —SAN
Though the Lagos State Government has condemned the killing of the young lady, Adegboruwa said, “Events unfolding concerning the murder of Miss Oluwabamishe Ayanwole are as intriguing as they are worrisome. Following public outcry and media monitoring, the Lagos State Government hurriedly packaged the Bus Rapid Transfer driver for media interview, to give the impression that he was innocent of the crime.”
He added, “Some further revelations have now thrown up very serious questions that the Lagos State Government must answer, if it is not covering up this dastardly act of daylight murder.
“In a homicide matter of this magnitude, how can a prime suspect who was declared missing, be handed over to government by the security agencies?
“A video of his initial arrest showed that the driver confessed to having carnal knowledge of the deceased, in very remorseful fashion. He was dressed in shabby and disheveled attire, truly reflecting his fugitive status as of the time of his arrest.
“Who then packaged a crime suspect, to turn out clean shaven, dressed in specially designed Lagos State Government outfit and now well tutored to claim innocence to set up the cock and bull story of hijack?
“Why was Lagos State Government romancing a murder suspect?
“And why was he paraded on a selected media of TV Continental, over which Lagos State has influence through patronage?
“What is the business of Lagos State in the interrogation of a murder suspect?
“The Commissioner of Police had earlier addressed the press to the extent that the suspect had confessed to the crime before Lagos State emerged with the latter James Bond storyline.
“What interest is the government serving to cover up a clear case of blue murder?
“Has there been other cases of ritual killings in BRT buses to which the government has become accustomed?
“Why will a driver whose bus was hijacked and has thus become a victim himself then bolt away for days without reporting to his employers?
“Your employee that was trusted with human carriage took your citizen who boarded the bus innocently based on trust that it’s a government outfit, your driver allegedly saw the citizen abducted, your driver drove the bus to you, he did not report the incident but handed over the bus and disappeared and after public outcry he was apprehended and all you do is dress him up for press interview to lie to the public, after killing an innocent girl?
“What kind of government will do this wickedness and expect to earn the trust of its people?
“It will be a sad day for humanity in general for a responsible government to stoop so low to try to cover up a clear case of murder, just for public relations. It is unthinkable that Governor Babajide Sanwoolu that we know would be a party to this nonsense story of hijack, which does not add up at all.
“It is clear that the Lagos State police command cannot be trusted to handle this case, given that it surrendered a murder suspect still under investigation to the Lagos State Government for media packaging.
“I therefore urge the Federal Government and the Inspector-General of Police to take over this investigation immediately, before the case is completely compromised.”
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