Bamise’s Murder: Commuters Stranded as LASG Suspends BRT Operations

Many Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) commuters were stranded at various bus stations in Lagos today due to the state directive to suspend operation in sympathy over the murder of Oluwabamise Ayanwole on a BRT bus.

A BRT passenger, Mr. Innocent Kanu, said he waited for BRT at Iyana-Ipaja for three hours, and that he had to enter other commercial buses at exorbitant price.

He said that a daily trip which usually cost N1, 200 to and from Iyana Ipaja now cost him N3200 due to the absence of BRT buses.

“I paid N1, 000 from Iyan-Ipaja to Oshodi and I took another bus to Ojuelegba for N300. I entered the last bus going to CMS for N300 at Ojuelegba.”

Another passenger Mrs Lara Badmus, a former banker now selling jewelries at Dosumu in Lagos, said she spent N1,500 from Igbogbo in Ikorodu to Dosunmu market in Lagos.

A staff of an insurance company in Costain, Mr. Benjamin Ajayi, said getting to work was so hectic and expensive compared to other days because once BRT buses shun operations other transporters extort passengers.

Ajayi sympathized with the families of the deceased and prayed for the Lagos State Government to get justice for the dead victim as soon as possible.

A phone repairer at Computer Village in Ikeja, Mr. Chidi Tobechukwu, said he spent N700 from Iyan-Ipaja to Ikeja because of absence of BRT operations in Lagos.

The Public Affairs Officer of Premero, Mr. Mutiu Yekeen, said that the directive to stop operations came from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Yekeen said that the protest to mourn the death of the missing lady who was later found dead led to the governor’s directive for all BRT buses.

Twenty-two-year-old Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole went missing after boarding a BRT bus from Chevron area of Lekki heading for Oshodi. Her corpse was found on Carter Bridge days after and the bus driver who was on the run has been arrested by security agents.

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