The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Lagos State branch has called for justice regarding the alleged gruesome murder of 22-year Miss Oluwabamishe Ayanwole in a Lagos State-owned Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) which she boarded from Ajah en route Oshodi in February 2022.
The group’s demand is contained in a statement, made available to the National Association of Online Security Reporters (NAOSRE), jointly signed by Comrade Kehinde Adeoye, Comrade Mufutau Bello and Comrade ‘Toyin Adetunji, CDHR Lagos State Chairman, State Secretary and PRO respectively.
According to the statement, the CDHR has been closely following the incidence relating to the unwarranted death and noted that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command has addressed the press earlier on the matter and confirmed that the BRT bus driver – the murder suspect – has been apprehended and has confessed to have committed the crime.
The human rights group, however, wonders why Lagos State Government, in what appears to be a twist of event, is putting up a defence in support of the BRT murder suspect.
The statement read in part: “Wouldn’t government have taken a stiff stand if the murder suspect were not an employee of the BRT? Could it be true that Lagos State “Government wants Lagosians and indeed the whole world to believe that it was a case of hijack even after the murder suspect has confessed to have committed the crime?
“Why should a prime suspect in a murder case of this magnitude be handed over to government by the security agencies simply because he is an employee of BRT – an agency of the State Government?
“CDHR therefore demands that these and other related questions should be answered by the State Government so as to convince the general public particularly Lagosians that there is no complicity in this murder case on the part of the State Government.
“According to Section 14B of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: ‘THE SECURITY AND WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE SHALL BE THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT’ if the security of the people cannot be guaranteed and in a clear case of murderous act as that of Late Bamishe Ayanwole in a BRT bus, and justice cannot be done, where then lies the primary purpose of government?”
“In addition, RIGHT TO LIFE is a fundamental right as enshrined in Chapter 4, Section 33, Subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, CDHR stated.
The group made the following demands:
1. CDHR hereby demands that the prime suspect – the Bus Rapid Transport – BRT driver involved in the murder case of 22 year old Late Miss Oluwabamishe Ayanwole should immediately be prosecuted and tried in a competent court in accordance with the Laws of the Land.
2. We equally demand and state unequivocally, that there should be NO COMPROMISE in this MURDER CASE. As many others as are found guilty in this muderous act should be brought to book. In other words, NO SACRED COW SHOULD BE RECOGNISED.
3. We hereby call on the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba and the entire Judiciary of Lagos State to, please, for the sake of HUMANITY and JUSTICE, intervene in this serious case of ”BLUE MURDER ” which, if not properly and transparently handled, is capable of making the entire Lagosians lose confidence in the State Government. The award-winning Lagos State Judiciary should please STEP IN NOW.
They vowed to continue to monitor the case “until justice is not only done but also seen to have been done.”
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