Court Issues Bench Warrant for Rahmat Omolara Animashaun Over Perjury, False Accusation Charges
A Lagos High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Rahmat Omolara Animashaun after she failed to appear in court on Tuesday, July 9, 2025, in a criminal case filed against her by the State Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
The court, presided over by Justice Ibikunke Harrison, ordered that Animashaun be arrested and produced in court on the next adjourned date, September 29, 2025, and on every other subsequent date until otherwise directed.
According to court filings, the State has levelled a four-count charge against Animashaun, including perjury, bringing false accusations, making false statements to public officers, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
In Count 1, Animashaun is accused of committing perjury, contrary to Section 86 of the Lagos State Criminal Law.
The prosecution alleges that on November 4, 2022, at the Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan, Lagos, she knowingly gave false testimony intended to institute judicial proceedings against one Adewale Olanrewaju Olatunji.
Count 2 involves the offence of bringing a false accusation, in which the defendant allegedly caused Olatunji to be wrongly charged with defilement of a child and sexual assault by penetration in December 2022, serious offences under Sections 137 and 261 of the Lagos Criminal Law.
In Count 3, Animashaun is charged with making false statements to public officers with intent to mislead, contrary to Section 96.
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She is alleged to have provided false information to both officers of the Nigeria Police, Zone 2, and officials from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), with intent to cause injury to Olatunji.
The most serious charge, Count 4, accuses Animashaun of attempting to pervert the course of justice, an offence under Section 97(3).
On or around November 17, 2022, she allegedly refused to present her children, Miss Tiara Olatunji and Master Tito Olatunji, for a medical examination at the National Hospital, Abuja, a key investigative step in the earlier allegation.
Following her non-appearance, the court directed law enforcement to arrest and produce Animashaun, whose address is listed as The Orchard, 22B One Yesufy Abiodun Way, Oniru, Lagos.
The prosecution is being led by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), while the defendant is yet to enter a formal plea, pending her appearance.
Investigations revealed that Ms. Animashaun had filed a sexual abuse complaint against Mr. Olatunji in October 2022, citing medical reports from the Mirabel Center. Mr. Olatunji was arrested and detained by the Zone 2 Police Command.
However, follow-up medical checks conducted at the Police Cottage Hospital could not confirm the alleged abuse.
Medical experts recommended specialist evaluations at the National Hospital, Abuja, but Ms. Animashaun reportedly failed to present the children for those assessments.
Amid mounting concerns, the case was escalated to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja.
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Multiple invitations issued to Ms. Animashaun were ignored, and she eventually fled with the children to the United States.
A U.S. court, sitting in Queens, New York, later ruled in favor of Mr. Olatunji, ordering that the children be released to him and returned to Nigeria for evaluation.
On February 7, 2025, the children were examined by specialists at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Reports from Dr. Ukpai Nwankwo Ukpai and Dr. Idris Liman found both children healthy and with no signs of trauma.
The findings directly contradicted the original allegations.
The DPP concluded that Ms. Animashaun’s actions were calculated to mislead authorities and defame her estranged husband.
She was arrested by the FCID in March 2025 and later granted bail pending arraignment.
With her failure to appear in court, the High Court has now ordered law enforcement to apprehend Ms. Animashaun and ensure her presence at the next hearing, scheduled for September 29, 2025.
