Lagos State PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, has given over N500, 000 for payment of accumulated mortuary bill of late fashion designer, Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwola, allegedly murdered by a BRT driver.
The 22-year-old Ayanwola was allegedly raped and murdered in February by a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) driver, Andrew Ominnikoron.
The driver is standing trial before a Lagos high court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square.
Ayanwola’s remains are still at the Mainland Hospital mortuary in Yaba.
National Daily reports that the fashion designer was found dead few days after she boarded BRT.
After a meeting of his representative and the deceased’s family members at his Liberty House, Ikeja, Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, said that he was touched by the family’s pain.
The guber candidate, who is observing lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia, was represented at the meeting by the Head of Media and Communications, JandorFunke4Governor Campaign Organisation.
“This incident happened about eight months ago, and Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran has been concerned.
“He is a man with milk of human kindness and has visited the family members to commiserate and identify with them.
“He has been keeping in touch to find a way of ameliorating your pain.
“The life of Lagos residents matters so much to Jandor,” Ogunleye said.
In his response, the deceased’s brother, Mr Oluwapelumi Ayanwola-Abegunde, commended the governorship candidate for standing by the family since his sister died.
Ayanwola-Abegunde said that the family members were taken aback when they were notified by the mortuary attendant that the morgue bill had accumulated to more than N500,000 and that the family was expected to pay it.
He said: “We were surprised because we didn’t take her (Bamise) to the mortuary in the first place.
“We went to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, to get clarification but we were told that after the autopsy report, the onus lied on us to pay the bill.
“This has been accumulating without our knowledge.
“We are very grateful to Jandor for being moved by the story and offering to assist in upsetting the bill.
“He has been a man full of empathy for the less privileged and the masses, “Ayanwola-Abegunde said.
According to him, the PDP candidate personally visited his family when the news of Bamise’s alleged murder was broken.
He added that the governorship candidate had been in contact with the family since then to know how the deceased’s parents were faring,” he said.
National Daily reports that Mr Andrew Ominnikoron, the driver of the BRT bus which Bamise boarded, was subsequently arrested by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ogun.
Ominnikoron is standing trail on five charges bordering on conspiracy, rape and murder, brought against him by the Lagos State Government, before a Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square.
Bamise went missing after she boarded a BRT bus driven by Ominnikoron at the Ajah axis of the state on Feb. 26.