The Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has handed a life imprisonment sentence to Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, the Medical Director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, for the defilement of his wife’s niece when she was 15/16 years old.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in his judgment, confirmed that the prosecution, led by the Lagos State Government, had successfully proven the charges against the defendant, with a compelling body of evidence.
Dr. Olaleye faced arraignment on November 30, 2022, on two counts of defilement and sexual assault by penetration of the minor between December 2019 and July 2022, a period when she resided with their family.
The prosecution, under the guidance of Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, disclosed that Olaleye had subjected his wife’s niece to sexual assault for approximately 19 months until the wife uncovered the truth and reported it to the police. The minor is now 18 years old.
Initially, Dr. Olaleye pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. However, the prosecution presented six witnesses to substantiate their case, including the minor, the defendant’s wife, a medical doctor, another childcare expert, and two police officers involved in the investigations. The defendant also testified in his defense, accompanied by a friend of over 40 years and a forensic physician who challenged the medical evidence provided by the prosecution.
Upon thorough evaluation of the evidence, Justice Oshodi found it to be “compelling.” The judge placed significant weight on Olaleye’s confessional statement, made before his former counsel, Mr. Olalekan Buruji, and the Divisional Police Officer at the Anthony Police Station in Lagos State. This statement expressed regret for his actions.
The judge rejected Olaleye’s denial of the statement during the trial.
Justice Oshodi described Dr. Olaleye as a dangerous offender who displayed no signs of remorse throughout the proceedings. The judge emphasized the gravity of Olaleye’s crimes, which included exposing the survivor to explicit material, inappropriate touching, and repeated sexual penetration.
Ultimately, the court found the defendant guilty of the offenses.
In a plea for leniency, counsel to the convict, Adebisi Oridate, emphasized Dr. Olaleye’s role as a medical doctor providing essential services, particularly to women with cancer-related ailments. Oridate also pointed out that Olaleye was a first-time offender who had suffered substantial personal and familial losses due to his incarceration.
In the sentencing phase, Justice Oshodi acknowledged the legal requirement to impose a life imprisonment sentence on each count of the offense but considered the defense’s argument regarding Olaleye’s first-time offender status and the medical profession. Consequently, the judge sentenced Dr. Olaleye to life imprisonment on both counts.
Additionally, Justice Oshodi ordered that Olaleye’s name be added to the Sexual Offences Register of the Lagos State Government.
During the trial, the convict’s wife, Aderemi Olaleye, testified that she became aware of the abuse when the survivor confessed to her and the family’s driver. The survivor disclosed that the doctor had been sexually abusing her and threatening her with harm if she revealed the truth.
The mother of two, who acted as the complainant, stated under oath, “My lord, on November 27, 2021, my second cousin told my aunty who is my mother’s sister that since March 2020, Femi has been sexually abusing her and introduced her to pornography, from there he graduated to oral sex with her, that he does this in different places in the house where there are no cameras.”
These offenses violate Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
