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Lagos Suspends BRT Operations As Bamise’s Family Demands Justice
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday suspended the operations of the Bus Rapid Transit due to protests against the tragic death of a female passenger, Oluwabamise Ayanwole.
The police recovered Oluwabamise’s corpse around the Ebute Ero area of the state.
The 22-year-old was last seen on a BRT bus driven by one Andrew Nice, who fled after voice notes and a video clip of the victim recorded on the bus indicated that she was unsafe.
Operatives of the Department of State Services later arrested Nice at his hideout in Ososa, Ogun State.
The driver was subsequently handed over to the police as he was paraded at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Monday.
Nice, during the parade, denied involvement in Oluwabamise’s death, saying his bus was hijacked by three gunmen who posed as passengers.
However, in a video clip that emerged on Monday night, the 47-year-old admitted to committing “dirty acts.”
The confession was said to have preceded his parade by the police.
“I am telling you the truth, she forced herself out of that bus; she was crying for help and everything was recorded. And because of the dirty acts I had done and how stupid I am, I am afraid,” he said in the clip posted on Twitter.
Also, during a press briefing on Tuesday, Oluwabamise’s elder sister said she went through hell before she died.
While shedding tears, she said, “I went to Akinpelu (Police Station) to report on Sunday; I reported to a policewoman and after seeing all the video evidence, she turned it down as if she never had a child before. It wasn’t as if the girl (Oluwabamise) was wise; it was the Holy Spirit that led her to get the evidence.
“Oluwabamise left her working place to help the mother of an unborn child. The boy has been delivered and now, we are going to tell the story of Oluwabamise to this boy that it was when you were coming to this world that they took her away. They used our last born for money rituals.
“The driver said some people attacked him, but after they left, you drove the bus to the BRT office comfortably. You never felt the pains of that girl when they were cutting her private parts. They did not kill her before cutting her private parts; my sister went through hell before her last breath on earth.
“You drove down and went home to meet your family, but never knew that the girl had taken all the details of you. She captured the number of the bus, the video, and the voice. When he got to their terminal, why didn’t he report to the police? He didn’t report to his bosses; he resumed work on Monday. President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Sanwo-Olu, we want justice!”
Sanwo-Olu slams critics, sensational posts
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, said investigation into the case was ongoing.
The governor, who spoke during an event to commemorate the International Women’s Day at Onikan, cautioned those he said were twisting the story with unfounded insinuations.
He said, “I have read some narratives and write-ups on social media in the last few hours. Some people are deliberately and extremely being sensational, posting that the Lagos State Government wanted to cover something; even my person.
“These people trivialise life, which appears to me like they just want to score a cheap point. These people are of low minds and have no conscience.
“Our government will certainly not be deterred by such wicked narratives. What we are about is to ensure that we transparently get to the roots of the matter. That is why the police and the Department of State Services picked up the driver, who ran to another state, where he was arrested.
He also warned the public against boarding BRT buses after the close of bus services in the evening, saying vehicles that had closed for the day would indicate by switching off their inner lights.
The Punch
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, declined a request by the Department of State Services (DSS) to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, in his ongoing defamation trial.
Sowore is being prosecuted over comments made on social media in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The Federal government argues the statement contravenes provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as sections of the Criminal Code, and is capable of inciting public disorder.
Director of Public Prosecutions, M. B. Abubakar, told the court that Sowore’s remarks amounted to cyber harassment and criminal defamation under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act and Sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code.
He insisted the activist must be held accountable for using digital platforms to malign the President.
During proceedings, counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, urged the court to issue a bench warrant, arguing that Sowore had been duly served with the charge and hearing notice but failed to appear.
He described the absence as a clear disregard for judicial authority.
According to Kehinde, allowing such conduct to go unchallenged could undermine the court’s authority — particularly in politically sensitive matters involving state institutions.
He also dismissed a letter submitted by activist Deji Adeyanju seeking an adjournment on Sowore’s behalf, describing it as an attempt to delay the case.
However, presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, declined the request. He ruled that it would be premature to issue a bench warrant because the second defendant in the matter, X Corporation (formerly Twitter), had not been properly served with the charge sheet.
The judge held that due process in serving all defendants must be completed before any coercive orders can be considered.
Counsel to X Corporation, Christabel Ndiokwelo, confirmed that although her client received the hearing notice, the formal charges had not yet been served.
Counsel to META (Facebook), Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), was also in court.
He aligned with the government’s position, describing Sowore’s absence as deliberate. He also dismissed Sowore’s claims that social media companies were collaborating with the DSS to censor him as “baseless and diversionary.”
Justice Umar adjourned the case to December 2, 2025, for proper arraignment, and directed that fresh hearing notices and charge documents be served on all parties to prevent further delays.
Following US President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), US Senator Ted Cruz has declared that the next step is to hold Nigerian officials accountable.
Cruz is championing the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill designed to protect Christians and other religious minorities from widespread persecution in Nigeria.
After the CPC designation, Trump also warned of possible military action in Nigeria if its leaders failed to protect Christians in the country.
Reacting in a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, Senator Cruz said he has been pushing legislation to designate Nigeria as a CPC and to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials responsible for religious persecution.
He thanked President Trump for the designation and for “fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria.”
According to Cruz, the next step is to hold Nigerian officials accountable, promising to publicly identify them in the coming weeks.
His post reads: “I’ve been pushing legislation to designate Nigeria a CPC and to impose sanctions on the Nigerian officials responsible.
“Thank you to President Trump for his leadership in imposing the designation, and more broadly, for fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria.
“Now we should take the next step and hold Nigerian officials accountable. I intend to be very explicit about who they are in the coming days and weeks.”
Last weekend, Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged killings of Christians.
In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.
The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of Christian genocide in the country.
In September, the Federal government described claims of a systematic genocide against Christians as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said portraying Nigeria’s insecurity as a religious conflict was a gross misrepresentation of reality.
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful.
“The federal government strongly condemns and categorically refutes recent allegations by certain international platforms and online influencers suggesting that terrorists operating in Nigeria are engaged in a systematic genocide against Christians,” he said.
Idris stressed that extremists have attacked citizens of all faiths, noting that Muslims, Christians, and even non-religious Nigerians have suffered alike.
Between May 2023 and February 2025, he said, security forces killed over 13,500 terrorists and rescued nearly 10,000 hostages.
He added that the recent capture of top Ansaru leaders and over 700 convictions of Boko Haram suspects reflected Nigeria’s progress in the fight against terrorism.
“These criminals target all who reject their murderous ideology, regardless of faith,” the minister stated.
The Oyo State High Court has granted the Peoples Democratic Party approval to proceed with its elective national convention scheduled for November 15–16, 2025, in Ibadan, the state capital.
The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to attend and monitor the exercise, Channels TV reports.
Delivering the ruling, Justice A. L. Akintola issued an interim order permitting the party to continue its convention plans without obstruction.
The decision came after an ex-parte motion filed by Folahan Adelabi against the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; Governor Umaru Fintiri, who heads the National Convention Organising Committee; and the INEC.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Akintola held that the claimant presented a compelling case that warranted immediate judicial intervention.
“The motion ex-parte has merit and succeeds as prayed,” the judge ruled, granting temporary reliefs that safeguard the party’s schedule and direct all parties to allow the convention to proceed as planned.
The judge subsequently adjourned the hearing of the substantive motion for an interlocutory injunction till November 10, 2025.
The interim order, issued on November 3, 2025, was sealed by the Oyo State High Court and endorsed by its Principal Registrar, S. O. Hammed.
