The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Andrew Ominikoron, who is on trial for allegedly raping and murdering 22-year-old fashion designer Oluwabamise Ayanwole, testified in his defense on Thursday at the Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square. Ominikoron denied the charges, stating that he neither raped nor killed Ayanwole.

During his testimony, he explained that he had been a BRT bus captain since September 2021. On February 26, 2022, he was on an afternoon shift, driving from Oshodi to Ajah. Ominikoron admitted that on his return trip to Oshodi around 7 or 8 p.m., he illegally picked up passengers, a practice among drivers called "Korokpe." According to him, he picked up Ayanwole at Chevron and three male passengers at Agungi.

Ominikoron claimed that one of the male passengers approached him, threw something at his head, showed a gun, and ordered him to comply with their demands. He said the men instructed him to divert the route and keep the bus lights dim to avoid detection by BRT officials.

The defense played an audio recording of Ayanwole, which Ominikoron claimed he was unaware of at the time. He stated that he first heard the recording when it was played at the police station after making his statement, adding that he didn’t fully understand it due to a language barrier.

Ominikoron further alleged that the police tortured him at the station, forcing him to agree with their statements. He denied knowing the three men who had boarded the bus at Agungi and said he couldn't identify them.

According to his testimony, the male passengers pointed a gun at him, and after they stopped the bus, Ayanwole was screaming for help while the men dragged her out. He claimed he couldn’t assist her because he was under threat. After the men left, he searched for Ayanwole but couldn’t find her, so he drove to the 7-Up terminal and went home.

Ominikoron maintained that he did not have any physical contact with Ayanwole and that the male passengers were responsible for her rape and abduction.