A Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, on Thursday, reserved judgment in the case against a Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit driver, Andrew Ominikoron, accused of raping and murdering a 22-year-old fashion designer, Oluwabamise Ayanwola, in 2022. Justice Sherifat Sonaike fixed May 2, 2025, for the judgment after the prosecution and the defence adopted their final written addresses. Defence counsel, Abayomi Omotubora, while adopting the final written address, argued that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove Ominikoron’s guilt.
He insisted that none of the testimonies from the nine prosecution witnesses directly linked the defendant’s actions to Ayanwola’s death. Omotubora also dismissed a voice note reportedly sent by the deceased to her friend as inadmissible hearsay, stating that the prosecution failed to call the friend as a witness. Challenging the prosecution’s reliance on the “last-seen” doctrine, the defence counsel stated that mere suspicion is not enough for a conviction without strong circumstantial evidence.
He also argued that the testimony of a prosecution witness, who alleged she was a previous rape victim of the defendant, required corroboration. Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, in his final address, urged the court to convict the defendant and pronounce him guilty based on the testimonies of prosecution witnesses three, seven, and eight. Martins stated that the corrobo.
