A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba to take over the investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of 22-year-old Oluwabamise Ayanwole.
Adegboruwa, who was a member of the #EndSARS panel in Lagos, made the call in a statement he personally signed and shared on Facebook on Tuesday.
He said that the call was necessitated by the Lagos State Government’s alleged romancing of a prime suspect, Andrew Nice, who drove the BRT vehicle where the victim was attacked.
Recall that a video that initially circulated after Nice’s arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS) shows him admitting to raping the suspect but changed his narrative in a follow-up video in branded government outfit.
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Adegboruwa warned that the interest of justice might not be served in the case if the state government was left to oversee the investigation.
“Events unfolding concerning the murder of Miss Oluwabamishe Ayanwole are as intriguing as they are worrisome. Following public outcry and media monitoring, the Lagos State Government hurriedly packaged the Bus Rapid Transfer driver for media interview, to give the impression that he was innocent of the crime.
“Some further revelations have now thrown up very serious questions that the Lagos State Government must answer, if it is not covering up this dastardly act of daylight murder.
“In a homicide matter of this magnitude, how can a prime suspect who was declared missing, be handed over to government by the security agencies?
“A video of his initial arrest showed that the driver confessed to having carnal knowledge of the deceased, in very remorseful fashion. He was dressed in shabby and disheveled attire, truly reflecting his fugitive status as of the time of his arrest.
“Who then packaged a crime suspect, to turn out clean shaven, dressed in specially designed Lagos State Government outfit and now well tutored to claim innocence to set up the cock and bull story of hijack?
“Why was Lagos State Government romancing a murder suspect?
“And why was he paraded on a selected media of TV Continental, over which Lagos State has influence through patronage?
“What is the business of Lagos State in the interrogation of a murder suspect?
“The Commissioner of Police had earlier addressed the press to the extent that the suspect had confessed to the crime before Lagos State emerged with the latter James Bond storyline.
“What interest is the government serving to cover up a clear case of blue murder?
“Has there been other cases of ritual killings in BRT buses to which the government has become accustomed?
“Why will a driver whose bus was hijacked and has thus become a victim himself then bolt away for days without reporting to his employers?
“Your employee that was trusted with human carriage took your citizen who boarded the bus innocently based on trust that it’s a government outfit, your driver allegedly saw the citizen abducted, your driver drove the bus to you, he did not report the incident but handed over the bus and disappeared and after public outcry he was apprehended and all you do is dress him up for press interview to lie to the public, after killing an innocent girl?
“What kind of government will do this wickedness and expect to earn the trust of its people?
“It will be a sad day for humanity in general for a responsible government to stoop so low to try to cover up a clear case of murder, just for public relations. It is unthinkable that Governor Babajide Sanwoolu that we know would be a party to this nonsense story of hijack, which does not add up at all.
“It is clear that the Lagos State police command cannot be trusted to handle this case, given that it surrendered a murder suspect still under investigation to the Lagos State Government for media packaging.
“I therefore urge the federal government and the Inspector-General of Police to take over this investigation immediately, before the case is completely compromised.”
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