The protesters called for the speedy prosecution of Andrew Nice Ominnikoron, a BRT driver, for the alleged sexual assault and murder of Bamise, a 22-year-old fashion designer.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and other concerned Nigerians protested at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday, demanding justice for Bamise Ayanwole.
The protesters called for the speedy prosecution of Andrew Nice Ominnikoron, a BRT driver, for the alleged sexual assault and murder of Bamise, a 22-year-old fashion designer.
The protesters, who displayed several banners condemning the slow trial of Bamise’s suspected murder, expressed their displeasure over the manner in which the state government is handling the case.
In a live coverage of the protest which was monitored by SaharaReproters, one of the inscriptions on the banners displayed by the protesters reads: “Delayed Justice delayed is dangerous, Arrest and Arraign Nice Ominnikoron’s accomplice now.”
“We are suspecting injustice. And then we want to demand justice. We have come here and we have not breached any protocol or law, if we have entered into the main assembly, it could have been a different thing. But this podium to me is to stand whenever you are coming to protest.
“All that we want is that justice must be done. If Lagos cannot stay in the public bus, Lagosians should be more confident and stay in government buses,” one of the protesters said.
Another protester also faulted the State Chief Judge, Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba over the non-fulfilment of the promise he made regarding Bamise’s case.
He said despite the CJ’s promise of a speedy trial of the case 10 months ago, it was quite unfortunate that the case was still dragging before the court.
He said, “Today makes it 500 days that Bamise was murdered, she was murdered inside BRT on the 26th of February, 2022. And if you calculate from the 26th of February, you are going to have 500 days.
“That is one year, four months and 15 days. What we are simply asking now is justice because when she was murdered, of course, the case is in court and we are not commenting about the case in court, we have already communicated to the Chief Judge of the Lagos state that let this matter be given a speedy trial.
“He assured us that in September 2022, and up till now, 10 months after, the matter is still dragging. We are very much enlightened, we know that when a matter is in court, we are not addressing it.
“But the promise given by the government that the matter will be given speedy acceleration is yet to take place. On the 1st of June, 2022, when this matter was to come up, most of us were in court. The murder suspect was not brought to court, it was so disheartening to hear the news in the evening that the reason the murder suspect was not brought to court was a result of the ban on commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada by the Lagos State government which took effect on that day.”
“The question we are now asking is what has the ban on Okada got to do with a murder suspect being brought to court,” he added.
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