Civil society organisations (CSOs) on Tuesday urged Lawal Pedro, the Attorney-General of Lagos State to go on appeal at the Supreme Court against a recent Court of Appeal judgement overturning the rape conviction of the medical director of Optimal Cancer Care, Femi Olaleye.
The group at a press conference in the office of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Lagos read out the petition submitted to the state’s attorney general. They urged Mr Pedro to “take immediate and necessary steps to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, so that the case may be thoroughly adjudicated, and justice may be duly served.” This, they “firmly believe that pursuing this matter to the Supreme Court, the apex court in the land, is essential to restoring and strengthening public trust in the justice system.”
Olaleye was arraigned in 2022 by the Lagos State Government at the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, in Ikeja, Lagos. He was accused of defilement and sexual assault by penetration of his wife’s 16-year-old niece. The court subsequently convicted and sentenced the Lagos-based doctor to life imprisonment.
Dissatisfied with his conviction, the doctor through his lawyer, Kemi Pihinero, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed an appeal in November 2023, arguing that there was no direct evidence to confirm the alleged victim’s age. The appellant claimed that the prosecution failed to provide documentation proving she was 16 years old at the time of the offence. In its judgement delivered on 29 November, a three-member panel.of the Court of Appeal, discharged and acquitted him.
The CSOs include Mirabel Centre, Cece Yara Child Advocacy centre, Child Protection Network Lagos State, Men Against Rape, Stop the Abuse Against Women and Children Foundation, Tonia Bruised But Not Broken Rape Survivors Foundation, Family Wellness Therapy Centre, Kate Henshaw, Project Alert and Ireti Psycho-social support Centre, Centre for Women’s Health and Information, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Federation of International Women Lawyers and Community Women’s Rights Foundation.