The family who spoke with SaharaReporters through Bamise’s elder sister, Damilola Ayanwola, said that the Lagos State government had been “merely” talking about their daughter’s death but had not made any significant progress on the case, including arresting other suspects of the murder who had been at large since the incident happened.
The family of Bamise Ayanwola, the 22-year-old female passenger allegedly murdered by a driver attached to the Lagos State-owned Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) in February 2022, has raised a Save-Our-Soul alarm, alleging that there are cover-up attempts on the case.
The family who spoke with SaharaReporters through Bamise’s elder sister, Damilola Ayanwola, said that the Lagos State government had been “merely” talking about their daughter’s death but had not made any significant progress on the case, including arresting other suspects of the murder who had been at large since the incident happened.
The family further said that the Pathologist who was engaged to examine Bamise’s corpse was never made known to them until the day she conducted the test in the laboratory when they had to go inside the laboratory and asked who she was before she introduced herself to them.
According to the family, there was alleged cover-up, either from the Lagos State government or from the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) which is in charge of BRT.
Damilola said, “Please, to all the Nigerians home and abroad, I am feeling like there is a cover up somewhere concerning my sister's death because if there is no cover-up, why is it that since February 2022 up to today, they are just talking about my sister's death.
“Now the autopsy results shows that she has bruises on her head, that was why she lost her life but how can a driver who is driving a bus has the same time to push somebody that is sitting in the bus away while he is driving at the same time?
“Let's look at it very well. Only the driver is being arrested, the other accomplices are still at large. Where are they? Till today, the police haven't done their investigation properly. They haven't done anything but they said they have done all their investigation and even the pathologist that was employed, my family and I don't have any trust in them anymore.
“In fact, from the day one when she came to the lab, we were not aware that she was already inside until I went inside the lab and saw her.
“I asked before she introduced herself to me as the pathologist that was employed but she told me she was in a meeting with some people.
“I don’t want my sister's death to go in vain. I don’t want to let the case just die down. November 30 is Bamise’s birthday and it is supposed to make her 24 years on earth but life has been taken away from her when she was 22 years of age.”
Demanding justice for Bamise, the elder sister said, “There is a cover-up either from the Lagos State government or from LAMATA. The honorable speaker said he is interested in my little sister's case and that he will call us, that he would like to have a meeting with us.
“But almost two months now, we are yet to receive any information from him. Please Nigerians, let us not keep quiet. Let us not keep mute on this case.”
Bamise boarded a BRT bus at the Chevron Bus Stop in the Ajah area of Lagos on her way to Oshodi around 7pm on February 26.
During the journey, Bamise’s family members said the fashion designer observed that the bus driver, Andrew Ominikoron, 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 as she was later declared missing.
She was later found dead on Carter Bridge and the driver was subsequently arrested and charged with conspiracy, rape and murder of the deceased.
SaharaReporters in October also reported that a Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Professor Sunday Shoyemi, confirmed that the 22-year-old Bamise was murdered.