Oluwapelumi Ayanwole, elder brother of the late Bamise who was found dead after boarding a BRT bus in Lagos, on Thursday said his sister was a virgin.
Oluwapelumi stated this as a prosecution witness in the rape and murder trial of a BRT driver, Andrew Ominnikoron.
Mr Ominnikoron is standing trial before a Lagos High Court on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder and rape.
He is also accused of raping another passenger, Maryjane Odezelu, in November 2021.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts before Justice Sherifat Sonaike sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square.
Oluwapelumi said his sister’s lower body part was damaged by the driver and his accomplices.
He was led in evidence by Lagos State attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN).
He testified that the deceased was the last of 10 children.
The witness said that he found out about his sister’s alleged murder on February 28.
He said that on February 27, he received a call from his brother, who was based in Kano, asking about the deceased.
“I immediately called home to find out about Bamise,” he said.
The witness said that while the deceased was on the BRT, she exchanged voice notes with one of her friends, Felicia.
“I was alarmed when the friend sent the voice notes they shared on WhatsApp,” he said.
The witness further said that the following Monday, he went to the BRT Terminal Three to report the matter but was directed to the Lagos Bus Service Ltd. (LBSL).
“We were referred to two CSOs and they said that none of the drivers reported a case of a missing person.
“I asked to have access to their CCTV camera so that we could know what transpired in their vehicles,” he said.
The witness told the court that the officials told him to get a police report to be able to access the CCTV ( Close Circuit Television) camera.
He said he was “badly treated” at the police division he went for the report, and had to go back to the LBSL where one Mr Aluko admitted that a bus was missing.
He said that he wrote a letter to the Office of the state Commissioner of Transportation, Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and the state House of Assembly.
He added that his family also reported the case at the Jakande Police Division where an official said that it was no longer a case of a missing person but a kidnap case.
“On March 7, someone said we should go and check Ebute-Ero Police Station. On getting there, we showed them a picture of my sister.
“I was told she died on the night of February 26 and the police took over the body,” he said.
The witness also said that he found his sister’s body at a morgue and it was tagged unknown.
The voice note exchanged by the deceased and her friend was admitted by the court in evidence.
In the voice note, the deceased said that she was alone in the bus and the driver had refused to pick up other passengers.
In the second voice note, she said that the driver had taken a lady and three males into the bus.
Then, the friend asked her if she had got to her bus stop but the message wasn’t replied.
Describing the ‘damaged’ pubic area, the witness said, “I saw traces of blood in the lower body part.”
At this point, defence counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, asked the witness to explain what he meant by “damaged lower part.”
“My sister was a virgin. Do you want me to describe how two to three men raped my sister? I will not do that,” the witness said.
The trial will continue on October 25.
