The Lagos High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square has set March 3 for the adoption of final written addresses in the trial of Andrew Ominikoron, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver accused of raping and murdering 22-year-old fashion designer Oluwabamise Ayanwola.
Justice Sherifat Sonaike fixed the new date due to the continued absence of the defense counsel, Abayomi Omotubora. This marks the third time the court has postponed the adoption of final addresses at Omotubora’s request.
On November 29, 2024, the case was adjourned after Omotubora cited health reasons for his absence. It was rescheduled for January 30, 2025, and later pushed to February 10, 2025. When the case came up again on February 10, Omotubora was absent once more, leading the court to further adjourn proceedings to March 3, 2025.
Ominikoron, arraigned in March 2022, faces charges of rape, conspiracy, felony, sexual assault, and murder brought by the Lagos State Government. Prosecutors allege that he conspired with unknown accomplices to assault and kill Ayanwola on February 26, 2022, throwing her out of a moving bus between the Lekki-Ajah Expressway and Carter Bridge.
The prosecution also accuses Ominikoron of raping a 29-year-old woman, Maryjane Odezulu, on November 25, 2021, at Lekki Conservation Centre.
The alleged offenses violate Sections 411, 223, 260, and 165 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015. Ominikoron, however, pleaded not guilty and, in his defense, claimed that three male passengers who boarded his bus after working hours were responsible for the assault and murder of Ayanwola.
