The Sun Nigeria Editorial
We condemn the heinous killing of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole in a Lagos State owned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The 22-year-old female passenger reportedly boarded the bus at Chevron Bus stop, Lekki, on her way to Oshodi on February 26 at 7pm. She had also engaged in live conversation with two of her friends when she sensed danger in the bus. Unfortunately, she was killed along the way and her body dismembered and dumped on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community by her assailants. The murder underscores the rising trend in killings in commercial commuter buses in Nigeria cities, especially in the night or early morning.
The driver of the bus, Andrew Nice, and some others are now in police custody in connection with the murder. The police must ensure that those involved in the murder are diligently prosecuted. The victim’s death should not pass as one of the unresolved murders in the country.
The death of Oluwabamise, a fashion designer, may not be an isolated one. It is possible that this type of killing may have been occurring in Lagos and other parts of the country without public knowledge. In 2019, one Gracious David-West was arrested for ritual killings in Port Harcourt. The man confessed to killing at least 15 women in Port Harcourt within two months before he was arrested. In Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, one Uduak Akpan reportedly murdered Miss Iniobong Umoren and buried her in a shallow grave in his compound.
In January last year, four teenagers allegedly killed one Sofiat Kehinde (20) for money-making ritual purpose in Ogun State. Local vigilance group arrested the boys while they were trying to burn the severed head of the victim. The suspects were arraigned in a local magistrate’s court.
The upsurge in ritual killings across the country is very worrisome. More pathetic is the fact that what happened in Lagos State was inside a government mass transit bus. Ordinarily, people would feel safer and more comfortable commuting in government vehicles than in other commercial buses.
It has been reported that ritual killings usually increase in the approach to a general election in Nigeria for unsubstantiated reasons. However, we cannot rule out poverty and unemployment as causative factors in ritual killings. Many youths are out of jobs and some of them, either due to superstition or ignorance, resort to ritual killings believing that such rituals hold the magic wand to wealth and success.
No matter the reason for the upsurge in ritual killings, the families of the victims are usually traumatised. Oluwabmise’s pregnant elder sister was said to have been hospitalised due to the trauma she suffered when she heard of the incident. Her parents who are in great pains are yet to come to terms with their daughter’s gruesome murder. Many Lagosians, civil society groups demand justice for Oluwabamise.
The only way to calm frayed nerves is to ensure that justice is done. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has condemned the dastardly act and promised to ensure that justice is done. Similarly, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has assured that the killers of the young lady must be brought to book. The Governor and the Speaker should ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet.
Government must henceforth conduct security checks on all its drivers and ensure there is proper logging in and out of all BRT buses. Let there be close circuit television cameras on all BRT buses. The Nigeria Police must beef up security across major crime spots in Nigeria.
We agree with the House of Representatives which had, in February 2022, called on the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on ritual killings in Nigeria. The House, in a motion by the Deputy Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu (Enugu PDP), regretted that while youths in other countries were embracing science and technology, some Nigerian youths seemed stuck in ritual killings.
Commuters are advised to be circumspect about the vehicles they enter and if possible, let them send the number of the vehicle to their friends or relatives in case of any emergency. It will go a long way in tracing the perpetrators should there be any untoward incident.
