The managing director of the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, Dr. Femi Olaleye, has been remanded in custody at the Ikoyi Correctional Center until the completion of his bail requirements.
Mr. Olaleye is accused of defiling and sexually assaulting his wife’s 16-year-old niece on two counts.
On Wednesday, he was charged by the Lagos state government in the Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence Court in Lagos’ Ikeja neighbourhood.
The physician entered a plea of not guilty to the accusation levelled against him.
The court set him bail at N50 million with two like-sized sureties.
The cancer care advocate’s planned arraignment was postponed on November 21 because he failed to appear in court.
Babatunde Ogala, the defendant’s attorney, read aloud sections of Olaleye’s previously submitted bail application during the trial on Wednesday.
Mr. Ogala argued that the defendant should be granted bail on the basis that he is willing to participate in all proceedings related to the case.
The defendant’s top cancer care advocate, according to the defence attorney, will suffer if kept in jail while the case is being tried.
The senior attorney said that the charges brought against his client do not amount to “grievous claims like treason” that call for the death penalty.
The attorney went on to say that Olaleye’s behaviour concerning his voluntary attendance in court indicates that he will abide by the court’s rules.
He claimed that the defendants had “reliable and liable” professional associates who were prepared to act as sureties for him if the judge approved bail.
In opposition to the bail application, Babatunde Martins, a state government attorney, said that the defendant had committed major offences in Lagos that carry a life sentence.
Because of his relationship with the claimants—his wife and the youngster who is the survivor—the prosecution team is worried, according to Mr. Martins, that the defendant has the propensity to meddle in the case.
Mr. Martins contended that Mr. Olaleye poses a flight risk because he holds a Nigerian passport and is likely in possession of a British passport.
He requested that the judge set the defendant’s attendance at his trial as a condition of his release on bail.
Bail requirements
According to the bail requirements, the defendant must give two sureties of N50 million each as part of the bond.
The sureties are required to present the titles to two landed properties in Lagos, as well as evidence of gainful work, three years of tax-free living, and valid national identity certificates.
The judge ordered Mr. Olaleye to hand over all of his travel documentation, including his British and foreign passports, to the court clerk.
The court set December 19 and 21 as the dates for the trial’s continuation.
