Lagos Arraigns Doctor For Child Defilement
Lagos State government yesterday arraigned 57-year-old medical director, Dr. Olufemi Olaleye before the state’s Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja for allegedly defiling 15-year-old-minor.
Olaleye, who is the founder of Optimal Care Centre was docked before Justice Ramon Oshodi on an alleged two-count charge of defilement and sexual penetration against a minor.
The defendant allegedly committed the offences between February 2020 and November 2021 on Layi Ogunbambi Close, Maryland, Lagos.
Olaleye was also accused of sexually assaulting the survivor by penetrating her mouth with his penis.
The alleged offences, according to the state, contravened Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
While moving a bail application his client, the defence counsel, Babatunde Ogala (SAN) submitted that the defendant is willing to go on in his trial because he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The lawyer argued, “he has not denied the fact that he has been under investigation in a matter that started in 2021, the defendant has not failed to appear before the police, he on his own walked into this court.”
However, the director of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) Dr Babajide Martins urged the court to consider that the closeness of the complainants, who are the wife and wife’s niece, may cause a likelihood of interference of the witnesses before deciding on the bail.
Justice Oshodi, however, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum, directing that the sureties must have landed property in Lagos State.
The court further remanded the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services until the perfection of the bail conditions.
She fixed December 19 for the commencement of the trial.
Osun State House of Assembly yesterday said it had resolved that since the judgement nullifying the chairmen and councillors elected on 15th October, 2022, had been appealed the elected officials should be allowed to continue in office.
The resolution was contained in a statement by the press secretary to the Speaker of the Assembly, Kunle Alabi, yesterday in Osogbo.
The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission had, through its executive secretary, Adedapo Adejumo, withdrawn certificates of return issued to the elected officials of LGAs and disclosed plans not to appeal judgement of an Osogbo Federal High Court that sacked them.
But the Assembly said it arrived at the resolution that the sacked council officials should remain in office during a plenary when its speaker, Timothy Owoeye, briefed members on the outcome of a private meeting held with the governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Owoeye, while briefing members of the Assembly on the outcome of the meeting with Adeleke, also stated that there was a mutual understanding that the House would henceforth be carried along on matters that concerns the legislative arms of government.
The statement partly read: “On the issue of LG administration, Owoeye informed the plenary of a notice of appeal against the decision of a Federal High Court judgment served on the 7th Assembly.
“The House thereby resolves that the issue of Local Government administration should be left to the court of law, ordering a status quo on all local government administration pending the exhaustion of all legal means.”