BAMISE: COURT CLOSES ANDREW NICE’S CASE, ADJOURNS FOR ADOPTION OF FINAL WRITTEN ADDRESS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Lagos High court Sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), on Friday, adjourned till January 30, 2025 for adoption of final written addresses in the ongoing trial of a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) driver Andrew Nice Ominikoron, for the rape and murder of one of his passengers, 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwola.
Justice Sherifat Sonaike fixed the date after she announced the close of the defendant’s case.
She also, ordered that the defendant file and serve his final written addresses within 21-days, that is on or before December 23.
The prosecution were also ordered to file written address within 21-days, that is on or before January 29th 2025, while adding that defence to file a response on point of law within another seven days.
Recall that, while giving his testimony on the last adjourned date, Ominikoron told the court that he did not rape or kill Bamise Ayanwola.
He said instead that it was three male passengers who boarded his bus after official hours that raped her and threw her off the vehicle.
At the resumed hearing of the case, the defendant’s counsel P.O Idogun, announced to the court that the lead counsel in the matter, Abayomi Omotubora, was ill, thereby applying for a further date to call their witnesses.
He said, “The lead counsel called me this morning at about 8am that he is critically ill and won’t be able to make it to court alongside the two witnesses he was to bring to court. He said due to his health, he cannot reach them, so they would not be in court,”
Idogun apologised for the turn out of events stating that he would have loved to proceed if the witnesses were in court, resulting in his application for an adjournment.
The Director of Public Prosecutions at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Babajide Martins, represented by T.E Onilado in his responses submission prayed the court not to grant the request of the defendant as his office had received a query by the Governor, First Lady, Deputy Governor, and even the Attorney General of the state over the case, as the Prosecution had closed its case since November 2023.
Justice Sonaike after listening to the responses of the counsel and going through the records of the court, directed that both parties should exchange their written addresses and be ready for adoption on January 30, 2025.
Before adjourning at the request of his counsel for further examination-in-chief of the defendant till Monday, October 21, Justice Sonaike strongly expressed displeasure at the slow pace of the case.
The court said the frequent adjournments in the trial have been at the instance of the defence counsel and that the last hearing was on February 15, 2024.
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