In a significant legal development, the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has given a life imprisonment sentence to Doctor Olufemi Olaleye, the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation Medical Director. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday after he was found guilty of defiling his wife's niece, a 15-year-old girl.
Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the sentence, citing the prosecution's successful demonstration of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge emphasised that all the evidence presented in court corroborated the victim's testimony.
Olaleye faced two charges, including defilement and sexual assault by penetration of his wife's niece, as levied against him by the Lagos State Government. The charges were brought against him on November 30, 2022, to which he initially pleaded not guilty.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, informed the court that Olaleye had committed these crimes between February 2020 and November 2021 at their residence in Maryland, Lagos state. The defendant was accused of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with his wife's 15-year-old niece and sexually assaulting her by penetrating her mouth with his penis. These actions violated Sections 137 and 261 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.
Upon entering his plea of not guilty, Justice Oshodi granted Olaleye bail of N50 million, with two sureties of equivalent value, both of whom were required to possess real estate in Lagos state. Additionally, both sureties were obliged to furnish evidence of tax payments to the Lagos state government over the past three years. The judge also ordered Olaleye to surrender his international passport, including his British passport, and the original documents of his landed property to the court's registrar.
Throughout the trial, the defendant's wife, Aderemi Olaleye, testified, revealing that her husband had been engaging in sexual abuse against her niece during her stay with them. The court's decision is a significant step in the fight against sexual offenses and domestic violence in Lagos State.
