The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on Friday overturned the judgment of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, which had sentenced the Medical Director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, to life imprisonment for allegedly defiling his wife’s 16-year-old niece.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Olukayode Bada stated that the lower court erred in convicting Olaleye based on “tainted” and “unreliable” evidence provided by his estranged wife, Oluremi, and the alleged survivor.
The appellate court identified material contradictions in the prosecution’s evidence, concluding that these discrepancies should not have been relied upon for conviction.
Furthermore, the court criticized other aspects of the prosecution’s case, including testimonies from a child forensic specialist and the investigating officer, deeming them insufficient to sustain the conviction.
As a result, Olaleye was acquitted and discharged by the appellate court.
In October 2023, Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court had convicted Olaleye on a two-count charge of child defilement and sexual assault by penetration.
However, in November 2023, Olaleye’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), filed an appeal, seeking to overturn Justice Oshodi’s judgement.