Nigerian medical doctor bags life imprisonment
The medical director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, Dr Olufemi Olaleye, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for rape.
The judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, found him guilty of sexually assaulting and raping his wife’s teenage niece.
Olufemi was said to have sexually assaulted the girl for more than a year until his wife found out and informed the police, the prosecutor said.
The judge found the evidence against the doctor compelling and rejected his plea for leniency.
Olaleye was arraigned in November last year on two counts of rape between December 2019 and July 2022.
During the trial, the doctor’s wife, Aderemi Olaleye, said she discovered the abuse after the girl told her aunt and the family’s driver. The girl, now aged 18, said the doctor had raped her several times and had threatened to kill her if she told anyone, the doctor’s wife said.
He was also accused of forcing her to watch pornography.
Six witnesses – the girl, the defendant’s wife, a medical doctor, a child-care expert and two police officers involved in the investigations – testified in the trial.
The doctor also testified in his defence alongside his forensic physician, who faulted the medical evidence presented by the prosecution.
But while delivering the judgment on Tuesday, the judge said the evidence presented before the court “greatly implicates” the defendant.
Justice Oshodi described the doctor as a “dangerous” offender who did not show any sign of remorse.
According to the judge, Olaleye’s earlier confession to the police proved that he committed the offences.
The judge rejected the arguments by the doctor’s legal team that the defendant’s wife tutored the girl to lie against him as part of a scheme to take over his property.
“I, therefore, find the defendant guilty as charged,” the judge ruled. “This charge has a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment,” he told BBC News.
In his plea for leniency, the doctor’s lawyer, Adebisi Oridate, asked the state to recognise Olaleye’s services as a cancer doctor and that he was a first-time offender.
But the judge dismissed the plea and said that Olaleye must be confined to prison for a long period as proof that Nigeria’s justice system frowned at sexual violence.
He also ordered the name of the doctor to be added to the Lagos State sex offenders register.
Liberia presidential election heads to run-off
As predicted earlier, the Liberian October 10th presidential election is headed to the November 14 run-off after a neck-to-neck tie between President George Weah and his main rival, Joseph Boakai.
As announced by the country’s Election Commission, Mr Weah got 43.83% of the vote, and Mr Boakai, a former vice-president, received 43.44%.
The election is seen as one of Liberia’s tightest presidential contests since the return and after a civil war that ended about two decades ago.
A second round was triggered as neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The run-off is due to take place on November 14, the head of the electoral commission, Davidetta Browne, said after announcing the final results.
Boakai trailed Mr Weah in the first round of voting in the 2017 election and lost a run-off by a wide margin.
Mr Boakai served as vice-president in the government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who became president after the end of a brutal civil war about 20 years ago.
He pledged that if he was elected president, he would form a “government of inclusion that truly reflects the political, social and religious diversity of the citizens”.
None of the 18 other candidates received more than 3% of the vote.
Kenyan soldier pay supreme price in DR Congo rebel mortar attack
A yet-to-be-named Kenyan soldier attached to the East African Force has been killed during an attack by the M23 rebel group in Kinumba, Democratic Republic of Congo.
DR Congo spokesman Patrick Muyaya told the BBC the soldier had died on Tuesday during clashes between the regional forces and M23 rebels in the Kibumba area.
There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan authorities.
It is the first death reported among the Kenyan troops since they joined the force last year.
A statement from the DR Congo army condemned the killing, blaming it on the M23.
It said the rebels fired a mortar targeting positions of the East African Community Regional Force or EACRF.
The DR Congo army said the attack was aimed at “creating a misunderstanding” between it and the EACRF.
The M23 rebels did not immediately react to the accusation.
Fighting has resumed recently between the M23 rebels and a pro-government self-defence militia known as Wazalendo in parts of North Kivu province.
The regional force has faced heavy criticism from DR Congo for failing to stop the violence.
DR Congo has said it will not be renewing the EACRF mandate, which is due to end in December.
Kenya has contributed more than 1,000 soldiers to the mission, which also includes troops from Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi.
Egypt de-escalating Israel-Palestine conflict
The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said his country is helping to de-escalate the resurfaced and ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.
He stated this on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, where he said that his country was playing a “very positive role” trying to de-escalate and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Egypt has taken an active role in negotiating access to aid for people in Gaza through the Rafah crossing, which it shares with Gaza, as well as in negotiations for hostage releases while advocating for a ceasefire in the conflict.
Inspecting scores of Egyptian warplanes, tanks, and other military hardware at an exercise on the western edge of the Sinai Peninsula, about 135 miles (215 km) from Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, he said that though Egypt had considerable military capabilities, it would only ever use them wisely and in self-defence.
Sisi, who is scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Cairo on Wednesday, said the military exercise had been intended for events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war against Israel that started on October 6 but had been postponed due to the conflict.
At a Cairo peace summit on Saturday, Sisi warned against any Israeli move to displace Gazans into Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, saying “the dissolution of the Palestinian cause without a just solution will not happen, and in any case will never happen at Egypt’s expense,” he Reuters gathered.
Jailed Niger army general to be released
Former army chief of staff who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2018 for his involvement in a coup attempt in 2015, General Souleymane Salou, is set to be released from prison.
This is coming after a court in Niger ordered his release on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.
“There was a ruling (on appeal) on Tuesday, and the judge ordered his release,” a source close to General Salou told AFP, indicating that his release from prison “will not be long in coming”.
A source close to the soldiers who overthrew the civilian president Mohamed Bazoum in July confirmed the decision to release General Salou, aged 70.
An air force officer, General Souleymane Salou was a member of the junta that overthrew President Mamadou Tandja in 2010 when he was appointed Chief of Staff until elections were held in 2011, which Mahamadou Issoufou won.
On December 17 2015, President Issoufou, who was then seeking a second term in office, claimed that an attempted coup had been foiled, justifying the arrest of twelve soldiers, including General Salou, three customs officers and around ten civilians.
In January 2018, a military court sentenced General Salou, his son and eight soldiers to between five and 15 years in prison for their involvement in the coup attempt.
At the beginning of September, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, the regime-appointed prime minister of Niger, gave assurances that measures would be taken to release “political prisoners” of the deposed regime.
In mid-September, former prime minister Hama Amadou, a fierce opponent of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum, returned to Niamey after more than two years in France.
Nigerian medical doctor bags life imprisonment
Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, the medical director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation in Lagos, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his wife’s teenage niece. Justice Rahman Oshodi found Dr. Olaleye guilty of sexual assault over more than a year after compelling evidence was presented in court, including testimonies from the victim and the defendant's wife. The judge emphasized the doctor's lack of remorse and rejected his plea for leniency, stating that Nigeria's justice system condemns sexual violence. Olaleye's name will be added to the Lagos State sex offenders register.
Liberia presidential election heads to run-off
The Liberian presidential election held on October 10 is set for a November 14 run-off after neither incumbent President George Weah nor main rival Joseph Boakai secured over 50% of the vote. Weah received 43.83%, while Boakai garnered 43.44% in what is considered one of Liberia’s tightest electoral races. The outcome will be determined in a second-round vote between the top two candidates.
Kenyan soldier pay supreme price in DR Congo rebel mortar attack
A Kenyan soldier serving with the East African Force was killed in a mortar attack by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This marks the first casualty among Kenyan troops since joining the mission last year. DR Congo condemned the attack, accusing M23 of trying to sow discord between local forces and the regional military coalition. The M23 rebels have yet to respond to these accusations.
Egypt de-escalating Israel-Palestine conflict
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated his country is actively working to de-escalate the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Egypt has been negotiating for aid access via the Rafah crossing, advocating for a ceasefire, and participating in talks for hostage releases. Sisi emphasized that Egypt would only use its substantial military capabilities defensively and rejected any displacement of Gazans into Egypt.
Jailed Niger army general to be released
General Souleymane Salou, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a 2015 coup attempt, is set to be released following a court order. Salou, a former army chief of staff, served in the junta that ousted President Mamadou Tandja in 2010. The decision to release him aligns with recent assurances from Niger's interim prime minister to free political prisoners of the deposed regime.
