Andrew Nice, the driver of Lagos Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, alleged to be involved in the abduction of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Oluwabamise Ayanwole, has been arrested.
AbaCityBlog reported that Ayanwole got missing while returning to Ota from Ajah on Saturday, February 26 when she boarded a BRT bus with number 240257 going to Oshodi at about 7 p.m. at Chevron Bus-Stop.
It was gathered that the victim worked as a Fashion Designer at Chevron Estate, Ajah and spent weekends at Ota, Ogun State, with her sister.
Sensing danger as the bus did not pick any other passenger at subsequent bus stops, Oluwabamise had engaged a friend using voice notes on her phone.
The voice notes showed that the bus driver said he liked Oluwabamise and asked for her name and other details.
She told her friend to pray for her as she became suspicious of the bus driver and in response, the friend told her to alight at Oworonsoki bus stop — before Oshodi bus stop.
Oluwabamise had also sent a video to her friend showing how dark it was in the bus and said, “There are three men and one woman in the bus. The woman is sitting at the back. That’s the number of the bus in case. Please pray for me.’’
That was the last that was heard from Oluwabamise, according to her mother, until her corpse was recovered.
“We are at the morgue. We have confirmed the corpse,” the relative said in an emotional-laden voice.
Also, The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, in a statement, confirmed that the corpse had been recovered.
He said, “The Lagos State Police Command regrets to inform the public that Oluwabamise Ayanwole, who got missing in transit while onboard a BRT bus on Saturday, February 26, 2022, has been found dead.
“The corpse was found lying on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro community, Lagos Island. The corpse has been deposited at the morgue of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, for an autopsy.
“The bereaved family has been contacted and family members have identified the corpse as that of Oluwabamise Ayanwole, the lady earlier declared missing.
“The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, is saddened by this incident and, therefore, expresses, on behalf of the management, officers and men of the command, his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.”
During a parade of the suspect on Monday at the command headquarters, Ikeja, the police commissioner said Nice was caught in a hideout in Ogun State.
Alabi noted that the 47-year-old was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services.
“Andrew Nice was subsequently handed over to the police for further necessary actions. As the suspect is being paraded today (Monday), we want to assure the public and indeed the bereaved family of the victim that justice will be served in this case,” he added.
The suspect, however, denied involvement in Oluwabamise’s death.
He claimed that the vehicle was atacked by gunmen.
Nice said, “Why I ran was when those guys showed me weapons; I could not be myself anymore. I became afraid and whatever the man with the gun said I should do was what I did.
“When I drove through the Carter Bridge and approached the overhead bridge, they ordered me to stop.
“When I stopped, they ordered me to open the door and as I opened the door, they came down and started dragging her down. When I saw that she (Oluwabamise) was crying for help, I was helpless.
“I was thinking that she was inside the vehicle holding the iron, so I moved on and left her at that scene. I never knew that they had dragged her down already. I have no connection with the three people that I picked up.”
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