Court Orders Arrest of Woman Over False Sexual Abuse Claims Against Estranged Husband

Court Orders Arrest of Woman Over False Sexual Abuse Claims Against Estranged Husband

The Lagos High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Rahmat Omolara Animashaun after she failed to appear in court on July 9 in connection with a criminal case involving false sexual assault allegations against her estranged husband, Adewale Olatunji. The order follows legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which recommended her prosecution for multiple offences.

Animashaun is facing charges of perjury, making false accusations, providing false information to a public officer, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. These charges are punishable under Sections 86, 95, 96, and 97(3) of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015. The case, marked LD/25997C/25, is being heard before Justice Ibironke Harrison.

The allegations stem from an October 2022 petition filed by Animashaun to the Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos, in which she claimed that her children had been sexually molested while in their father’s custody. However, medical evaluations conducted at the Police Cottage Hospital found no evidence of abuse. A recommendation was made for further specialist examinations, but Animashaun failed to present the children for review.

Olatunji subsequently petitioned the Deputy Inspector General of Police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja, which took over the investigation. Despite being directed to present the children for further examination at the National Hospital in Abuja, Animashaun traveled to the United States with them. The Queens Family Court in New York later ordered that the children be released to Olatunji so they could be returned to Nigeria.

Upon their return, the children were examined on February 7 by medical professionals at the National Hospital and were found to be in good health with no signs of trauma. The DPP concluded that Animashaun’s claims were fabricated with the intention of misleading law enforcement, damaging Olatunji’s reputation, and obstructing justice. Investigations also revealed that medical documents submitted by Animashaun were suspected to be forged.

She was arrested in March and granted bail pending her arraignment. With her failure to appear in court, security agencies have now been instructed to produce her on September 29. The DPP described her conduct as “less than honest and honourable.”