The hearing of the ‘No Case Submission’ filed by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Andrew Ominnikoron, facing trial for the death of passenger Oluwabamise Ayanwola, has been scheduled for February 8, 2024, by the Lagos State High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS).
Justice Sherifat Sonaike, who initially set the date for the adoption of the application, adjourned the proceedings due to the defense counsel, Abayomi Omotubora’s failure to provide a copy of the application to the prosecution.
Omininikoron is facing a four-count charge, including conspiracy, murder, and two counts of rape. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jide Martins, alleged that on November 25, 2021, the defendant raped a 29-year-old lady in Lagos. The incident purportedly occurred around 7 pm near the Lekki-Ajah Conservation Centre on the Lekki Ajah Expressway.
The DPP further accused Ominnikoron of conspiring to forcefully engage in sexual intercourse with his 22-year-old passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwola, a fashion designer, on February 26, 2022, around 8 pm between Lekki Ajah Conservation expressway and Carter Bridge. The prosecution asserted that after the alleged sexual assault, the defendant and others threw Ayanwola out of a moving bus at Carter Bridge, resulting in her death.
The charges are in violation of sections 411, 223, 260, and 165 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015. Ominnikoron pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecutor, Mohammed Olateju, informed the court that the defense counsel had not served the prosecution with a copy of the No Case Submission application. Omotubora explained that the application filing was incomplete, with only scanning remaining.
In response, Justice Sonaike adjourned the case to February 8, 2024, for the adoption of the No Case Submission application.