Court sentences Lagos doctor to life imprisonment for raping wife’s niece

Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, the Medical Director of the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, has been declared guilty of two charges brought against him by the Lagos state government, involving the sexual assault of his wife’s 16-year-old niece.

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the sexual and special offences court in Ikeja ruled that Dr. Olaleye had been untruthful in his defense, as his testimony in court contradicted his prior confession made on Nov 29, 2021, at the Anthony police station, which was witnessed by his lawyer, wife, and the police station’s DPO.

The court determined that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, establishing that the survivor was a minor during the 18-month period in which the defendant repeatedly sexually assaulted her, engaging in both oral and physical sexual acts while threatening her into silence.

The court found that the evidence presented by the prosecution, including the testimonies of the survivor, the defendant’s wife who reported the incident, and a doctor from the Mirabel center who examined the survivor, was consistent and strongly incriminating against the well-known doctor.

During the sentencing, the judge highlighted the defendant’s prior confession and acknowledgment of a sex addiction, only to later retract his admission. The court deemed Dr. Olaleye a dangerous offender who needed to be removed from society.

Accordingly, mandatory life sentences were imposed for each of the two counts, with the jail terms running concurrently. Additionally, the defendant’s name was ordered to be added to the Lagos state sex offenders register.