Mr Kayode Aluko, one of the Fleet operational managers at the Lagos Bus Services limited, on Tuesday told a Lagos High Court how the driver, of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Andrew Ominnikoron, the alleged rape and murder suspect of Oluwabamise Ayanwole, ran away after they got the information of what had happened.
He said that he had given an instruction to his officers who received the information of the incident that when the defendant comes he should see him for some interrogation on a missing person in his bus.
Aluko,who is the second witness,in his evidence said that the defendant was employed in September, 2021.
He told the court that when the defendant came to the office, the officer from the outsourcing company he met told him, to see him, but that Ominnikoron, told them that he was going to eat, but never returned.
The witness gave details of how the defendant was employed by the Lagos Bus Services limited, from an outsourcing company called Excel.
He told the court that the three rape incidents and the murder of Oluwabamise Ayanwole, was never reported by the defendant, until February 28, after the deceased family reported the case to them.
Aluko said ” The incident of November 25, 2021, the December 29, 2021 and February 28, 2022, were never reported by the defendant and the model of bus he drove on the three occasions is Ashok Layland”.
The witness who was led in evidence in chief by the Director of Public Prosecution DPP, Dr Babajide Martins, said they have monitoring unit that monitors the movement of the driver’s route.
Aluko testified that on February, 28, at about 3pm, the elder brother of the missing lady (Bamise) was at their gate and he was having some challenges with their security guy at the gate asked them to report to the incident at a nearby police station.
He said: ” When I heard the argument I asked the security to let him in and when I listened to them, they showed me a voice note and a video from the elder brother’s phone. In the video that I saw, it displayed my bus with number 240257 and the other voice more of two ladies and in their conversation there was an expression of fear from the lady inside the bus to the other friend.
” This was on a Monday and the incident occurred on Saturday. I said I will do whatever I can to help them. That night I took my car with four other personnel from the outsourcing company and went to Ogolonto at Ikorodu where he(defendant) said he lives.On getting there we didn’t see him, we called him several times, he didn’t respond but suddenly he called back the out sourcing representative that brought him that he was in an hospital, but we couldn’t locate him at his residence or hospital,” the witness said.
He further testified that there are phone number available to the drivers, which are phone numbers of the marketers, maintenance, depot officers, station officers and as well as his given to the drivers to call and report any incident.
The witness said :” On November 25, 2021, Andrew Ominnikoron, was the driver that drove Bus no. 240271 and he was on pm shift. Pm shifts starts at 1 o’clock and ends at 10pm. On December, 29, 2021, the same bus was also allotted to the defendant and he was also on pm shift and he was number 19, that was allotted that day and his route is Ajah- Oshodi.
“On February, 26, 2022, Andrew Ominnikoron, was allotted a bus with number 240257, he was equally on pm shift, from 1pm to 19pm, he was number eight on the allotted bus. The procedure is the same for Am and Pm. Am starts at 5am.We have two captains (drivers) for each bus. Once a driver resumes in the morning, he will write down his name, and the allotted bus the following details will be documented before moving out, the fuel level, the odometer and then sign.
The defense counsel Abayomi Omotubora, cross- examined the first prosecution witness MaryJane Odezulu, on the evidence she gave on Monday.
When asked how she was raped after she was pushed down by the defendant, she said he shifted her pant and defiled her.
Asked if she used the N3000 that the defendant sent to her account, she testified that after withdrawing the money, she gave it to beggars at Ajah, on her way to work the following day.
Justice Sherifay Sonaike adjourned the case till June 1, for continuation of trial. The five count amended charge was read to the defendant and he took his plea.
Ominnikoron is facing a five-count charge bordering on rape, conspiracy, felony, sexual assault, and murder preferred against him by the Lagos state government.
The prosecution said that the defendant on November 25, 2021, allegedly raped a 29 year -old lady Nneka Maryjane Odezulu, without her consent.
