A coalition of child protection and women’s rights organisations has called on the Lagos State Government to appeal the recent Court of Appeal ruling that overturned the conviction of a medical doctor, Dr. Femi Olaleye, for the alleged defilement and sexual assault of a minor.
The Lagos doctor, who heads the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, known for providing free breast and cervical cancer screening for women, was accused of sexually assaulting his wife’s niece for over a year until the abuse was discovered and reported to the police by his wife.
On October 24, 2023, Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court convicted and sentenced Olaleye to life imprisonment for the offence.
However, on November 29, 2024, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, overturned Olaleye’s conviction. The court discharged and acquitted him after determining that the trial court’s judgement was flawed.
In a joint petition issued on Tuesday, the rights groups urged the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to escalate the case to the Supreme Court.
The groups that signed the petition, on which PUNCH Metro anchored its report, included Mirabel Centre, Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Child Protection Network Lagos State, Men Against Rape, Stop the Abuse Against Women and Children Foundation, and Tonia Bruised But Not Broken Rape Survivors Foundation.
Other signatories are Family Wellness Therapy Centre, Kate Henshaw, Project Alert, Ireti Psycho-social Support Centre, Centre for Women’s Health and Information, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Federation of International Women Lawyers, and the Community Women’s Rights Foundation.
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