A Lagos High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of one Rahmat Omolara Animashaun over allegedly fabricating claims of child sexual abuse against her ex-husband, Adewale Olatunji.
Justice I.O. Harrison issued the warrant following Animashaun’s failure to appear before the court on July 9, 2025, in a criminal case (LD/25997C/25) filed by the Lagos State Government.
The arrest order was based on legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which recommended her prosecution on charges including perjury, false accusation, giving false information to a public officer, and attempting to pervert justice.
The offences contravene Sections 86, 95, 96, and 97(3) of the Lagos State Criminal Law, Chapter C17, Volume 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The case arose from a protracted custody battle between Animashaun and Olatunji, who share custody of their two children. On October 16, 2022, Animashaun claimed the children appeared pale and ill following a visit to their father, prompting her to take them to the Mirabel Centre, where preliminary findings reportedly suggested abuse.
However, further tests at the Police Cottage Hospital yielded inconclusive results, and doctors referred the children for specialist evaluation. The children were not taken for the follow-up until February 7, 2025—over two years later—when a comprehensive medical examination at the National Hospital in Abuja found them to be in good health.
Following a review of the case, the DPP concluded that Animashaun deliberately concocted the allegations to implicate her ex-husband and frustrate justice.
“The conduct of the suspect was less than honest and honourable,” the DPP said, citing her failure to present the children for timely follow-up, contradictory medical reports, and the lack of any medical evidence to support her claims.
The DPP’s advice referenced several case law precedents, including Kayode Odukoya v. FRN (2023), Alhaji Moshood Aroyewun v. COP (2004), and Joseph Nwobike, SAN v. FRN (2019), as legal basis for recommending prosecution.
