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Appeal Court Nullifies Conviction of Femi Olaleye Over Lack of Evidence
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has overturned the conviction of Femi Olaleye, the managing director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, previously sentenced to life imprisonment for r@pe.
In a ruling delivered on November 29, the appellate court stated that the lower court erred in its judgment, citing the absence of direct evidence to support the allegations, particularly regarding the victim’s age. Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted Olaleye.
In October 2023, Olaleye was convicted by the Lagos State Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court on charges of child defilement and s#xual assault by penetration. The presiding judge, Rahman Oshodi, had sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The case began in 2022 when Olaleye was arraigned by the Lagos State Government.
Following his conviction, his legal counsel, Kemi Pinhero (SAN), appealed the decision in November 2023, arguing that the prosecution failed to present direct evidence confirming the victim’s age as 16 at the time of the incident.
The appellate court upheld this argument, ruling that the prosecution’s inability to provide documentation verifying the victim’s age rendered the case insufficient for conviction.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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