Olaleye: Court nullifies Lagos doctor’s rape conviction

The Appeal Court, Lagos Division, has nullified the rape case of the Medical Director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, Dr Olufemi Olaleye on Friday.

The Diaspora Digital Media (DDM), learnt that Dr. Olufemi was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2023, by Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, for raping a minor, who was his wife’s niece, when she was 16 years old.

Since then, the doctor has been serving his term in prison.

The court overturned the earlier judgment and acquitted Olaleye due to faults in the trial court’s decision.

The appellate court ruled that the prosecution failed to provide credible evidence proving the victim was a minor, thereby casting reasonable doubt on the case.

The court noted that the trial court relied on witness evidence to establish the victim’s age, even though none of the witnesses testified to having firsthand knowledge of the victim’s birth.

The lead judge of the three-judge panel, Justice Olukayode Bada, while delivering his judgement, pointed out that the trial court wrongly convicted Olaleye based on the questionable testimony of his estranged wife, Oluremi, and the alleged victim.

The court observed that the prosecution’s evidence was tainted by significant contradictions, which rendered it insufficient to support the lower court’s decision.

Earlier development

Oluleye was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2023, by Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, after establishing two counts of defilement and sexual assault against him.

Justice Oshodi noted that the evidence presented in court was convincing and established the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to Oshodi, the convict’s confessional statement, given to Mr. Olalekan Buruji and Patricia, the DPO of Anthony Police Station, Olaleye was guilty, as it revealed his remorseful attitude towards his actions.

The judge rejected Olaleye’s claim that he did not make the statement at the police station, pointing out that the document was authenticated by the seal of his lawyer, Buruji, from the Nigerian Bar Association.

“According to Oshodi, the convict is a threat to the society, and his lack of remorse is deeply troubling.

Oshodi described the shocking extent of Olaleye’s crimes, which involved exposing the survivor to pornographic content and perpetrating repeated sexual assaults against her, and recognized Olaleye’s admission of his sex addiction.

Following the unfavorable ruling, Olaleye’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), filed an appeal on November 24, 2023, seeking to have Justice Oshodi’s judgment overturned.

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