BRT Death: Lawyer accuses Lagos govt of cover-up

BRT Death: Lawyer accuses Lagos govt of cover-up

A human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has accused the Lagos State Government of a cover-up in the death of Bamise Ayanwole.

Ms Ayanwole, 22, 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 7 p.m. at Chevron Bus-Stop.

Her body was discovered lying on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community, Lagos Island, Lagos Police said in a statement on Monday.

In the statement on Tuesday, titled “Murder inside BRT: IGP and the federal government should take over the investigation,” the senior lawyer said the state government “hurriedly packaged” the driver for media interview following public outcry and media monitoring to give the impression that he was innocent of the crime.

‘Unanswered questions’

Mr Adegboruwa said the government has some questions to answer if it is not covering up this “daylight murder.”

“In a homicide matter of this magnitude, how can a prime suspect who was declared missing, be handed over to the government by the security agencies?

Mr Adegboruwa said in an initial video, before the TVC interview, the driver had confessed to having carnal knowledge of the deceased, in a very remorseful fashion.

In the interview with TVC, the driver, Andrew Nice, dressed in a shirt with the state logo, said he was not complicit in her murder.

Mr Adegboruwa said the suspect was dressed shabbily at the time of his arrest.

“Who then packaged a crime suspect, to turn out cleanly 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? The lawyer asked.

“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 lawyer also asked if there have 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?”

IG’s intervention

Mr Adegboruwa urged the federal government and the Inspector-General of Police to take over the investigation immediately before the case is completely compromised.

“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,” he said.

Contacted for reaction, the commissioner of information, Gbenga Omotosho, referred this reporter to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor’s statement, where he commiserated with the deceased’s family.