Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, a former Medical Director at the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation in Lagos, has been taken into custody in the United Kingdom following his arrest at Gatwick Airport on Thursday, November 27, 2025. The arrest was based on allegations of sexual offences said to have occurred during his earlier medical practice in Britain.
Olaleye a British citizen who previously served in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at Darent Valley Hospital between 2005 and 2008 — was detained by law enforcement shortly after arriving on a flight from Nigeria. According to Kent Police, the 57-year-old was arrested in connection with several alleged voyeurism incidents dating back nearly two decades.
Police Confirm Arrest and Charges
Kent Police confirmed the development in an email response to Saturday PUNCH through its press officer, Charles Harman. Harman stated that officers had been alerted that a wanted individual was returning to the UK from Nigeria, prompting police presence at the airport.
“Officers attended the terminal and a man was arrested,” Harman wrote. “Francis Olaleye, 57, from Plumstead Common Road, Plumstead, London, was later charged with three counts of voyeurism. He denied all charges at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, November 29, and has been remanded in custody until his next hearing on Friday, December 5.”
Authorities noted that the suspect uses various names, including Frank, Femi, and Francis.
Details of the Alleged Offences
The charges, filed under the UK Sexual Offences Act of 2003, accuse Olaleye of secretly recording individuals engaged in private acts between May 2004 and July 2007 in Dartford, Kent. The prosecution alleges that the recordings were made without the consent of the individuals involved and were intended for sexual gratification.
Under UK law, it is a criminal offence to observe, film, or photograph someone in situations where they reasonably expect privacy — including when they are undressed or engaged in sexual activity — without their permission.
Sources told The PUNCH that while Olaleye was practising in the UK at the time, he allegedly recorded intimate encounters involving several women. One of the women, said to be married at the time, reportedly had her marriage dissolve after her husband discovered an explicit recording.
She is one of three individuals listed as key police witnesses in the case.
Court Proceedings and Remand
At his initial appearance on November 29 at Medway Magistrates’ Court, Olaleye pleaded not guilty to all charges. On Friday, December 5, the court ordered that he remain in custody, citing concerns that he might attempt to flee the UK or potentially commit further offences.
A hearing to review the remand order has been scheduled for January 2, 2026. The substantive trial is set to commence on January 21, 2026, at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.
Background: Previous Legal Battle in Nigeria
Olaleye’s arrest in the UK comes after he was entangled in a highly publicised legal case in Lagos, Nigeria, involving allegations of child defilement and sexual assault.
He was arraigned on November 30, 2022, before the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on two counts involving the alleged abuse of his wife’s teenage niece between March 2020 and November 2021.
His estranged wife, Aderemi Olaleye, served as the first prosecution witness. She told the court that the survivor, who had lived with the couple since late 2019, revealed in November 2021 that she had been repeatedly abused.
Aderemi alleged that the abuse escalated gradually — from exposing the girl to pornography to sexual assault and eventual penetration — usually in parts of the home not covered by CCTV cameras, often in the early hours of the morning. She further claimed that she had been drugged on some of the nights the abuse allegedly occurred, and said that their family driver once reported seeing the girl vomit semen.
The case was reported to the police in March 2022 after the girl confided in a relative. Medical findings from the Mirabel Centre reportedly indicated bruising and injuries consistent with the survivor’s account.
On October 24, 2023, Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted Olaleye and sentenced him to life imprisonment, describing him as a dangerous offender who showed no remorse.
However, on November 29, 2024, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction, acquitted him, and ordered his release.
A Case Under Scrutiny
The convergence of the UK voyeurism charges and Olaleye’s prior legal controversies in Nigeria has sparked considerable public attention. As the UK case progresses, observers in both countries are watching closely to see how the allegations will be adjudicated in the British courts.
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