The Lagos State House of Assembly has expressed its willingness to revisit the case of late Bamise Ayanwola, the 22-year-old fashion designer, who was murdered after boarding a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the State in February 2022.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa disclosed this during plenary on Tuesday.
Lawmaker representing Agege 11 constituency, Hon. Steve Ogundipe brought up the issue under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’ was worthy of deliberation.
Dr. Obasa commended the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) for bringing the issue to the fore again nearly two years after it happened.
“The issue of Bamise was brought to this House when it happened and I received the protesters, but at that point, the case was before the police and the court of law.
“Unfortunately, the judiciary is an institution on its own and we do not have the power to dabble into their activities. We cannot compel the judiciary but can only lend our voice by saying the people of the State are eager to know about the case.
“We need to invite the family, the civil society group and the agency of the government that has a role to play so that they can let us know how far they have gone.
“If we are encouraging people to make use of public transportation, then we must build that confidence that they are safe. All the buses on our roads must have CCTV cameras. Our new trains and terminals should also have. The essence of this is to prevent crime. Security is very crucial,” the Speaker said.
He noted that if in six months, the family of Bolanle Raheem, the lawyer who was murdered by a policeman, could get justice, there should also be justice for Bamise.
The Speaker also thanked the state police command for its efforts to unravelling the culprits behind the death of musician, Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.
Raising the issue, Hon. Ogundipe said the case had lingered for too long.
He said there was need to ensure justice was served as this would boost the confidence of Lagos residents in the government.
Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Noheem Adams, recalled that the CDHR and the family of Bamise recently protested to the House.
He said the about 500 protesters were promised that the House would act on their concern.
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