Lagos State Government has urged the Supreme Court to uphold the conviction of Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, who was found guilty by the State High Court of defiling his wife’s 16-year-old niece but later acquitted by the Court of Appeal.

Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, Medical Director of the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, was originally sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in October 2023.

Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s ruling, the state government took the case to the Supreme Court, contesting the acquittal of Dr. Olaleye on defilement charges.

But Dr. Olaleye, through his counsel, Chief J. Okutepa, SAN, filed an objection against the appeal.

The respondent’s counsel, in the preliminary objection, prayed the apex court to strike out the appeal for want of competence.

In response to the preliminary objection, the state government urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the respondent’s arguments, citing the reasons outlined in its brief of argument dated August 18, 2025, and to uphold the appeal by restoring the trial court’s judgment.

In a detailed reply to Olaleye’s preliminary objection, the state government contended that the respondent’s application was misguided, baseless, and rooted in mere technicalities.

The state’s ground of appeal rests on four major pillars, each pointing to why the apex court should affirm the conviction of Olaleye by the trial court.

In ground three, the state government wants the apex court to determine whether the issue of the age of the victim PW2 which was not contested, disputed or raised during trial can be made an issue at the appellate stage; whether the appellant has successfully proved the offenses of defilement of a child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law, CAP 17, VOL 3.

Laws of Lagos State 2015 and sexual assault by penetration contrary to Section 261 of the Criminal Law, CAP 17, and Vol 3 Laws of Lagos State 2015, against the respondent beyond reasonable doubt as required by law among others.

Defilement: Lagos urges Supreme Court to affirm conviction of medical doctor