Appeal Court Frees Lagos Doctor Accused of Raping Wife’s Niece

The Appeal Court has acquitted a Lagos doctor accused of raping his wife’s niece. Lagos State remains silent on the court’s controversial ruling.

On Friday, the Lagos Division of Appeal Court overturned the conviction of Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, Medical Director at Optimal Cancer Care Foundation. He had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his wife’s niece.

Olaleye was released and cleared of charges by the appellate court, which found issues with the trial court’s judgment.

The appellate court stated, “The prosecution’s case lacked credible evidence to prove that the victim was a child. There was substantial and reasonable doubt regarding her age in the prosecution’s argument.”

It is documented that the trial court reached a conclusion regarding age based on the witnesses’ testimonies, despite none having witnessed PW2’s birth.

On Friday, Justice Olukayode Bada, the lead judge of the three-member panel, stated that the trial court made a mistake in convicting the appellant due to “tainted” and ‘unreliable’ evidence provided by his estranged wife, Oluremi, and an unnamed alleged survivor.

The appellate court determined that the evidence collected by the prosecution contained significant inconsistencies and should not have been relied upon by the lower court.

On October 24, 2023, Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court convicted Olaleye for raping his wife’s teenage niece and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

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The judge concluded that the prosecution successfully demonstrated Olaleye’s guilt on both counts of defilement and sexual assault by penetration.

He asserted that the evidence presented in court against the convict was compelling and proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice Oshodi further noted that the convict’s confessional statement, made in front of his former counsel Mr. Olalekan Buruji and Patricia, the DPO of Anthony Police Station—wherein he expressed regret for his actions—served as evidence confirming his commission of the offenses.

The judge also determined that Olaleye’s denial of an agreement made at the police station lacked credibility, noting that the document he signed bore his counsel Buruji’s Nigerian Bar Association seal.

The convict is a dangerous offender who displayed no remorse and should feel ashamed of his actions.

“You demonstrated a lack of remorse, indicating that you pose a danger to society and should be kept away from the public,” Oshodi stated.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, Olaleye filed an appeal on November 24, 2023, through his lawyer Kemi Pinheiro, SAN. The aim of the appeal is to overturn Justice Oshodi’s judgment.

Efforts to contact the Lagos State Government regarding their potential plan to appeal the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court were unsuccessful.