Baba Ijesha, popular Nollywood was given a prison sentence of 16 years after being found guilty of indecently treating a minor,. The offense involved the actor’s inappropriate contact with a child.
Olanrewaju James, better known by his stage name Baba Ijesha, was convicted of sex*al assault and sentenced to 16 years in prison by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sex*al Offences Court. James is a comedian and actor working in Nollywood.
On Thursday Justice Taiwo handed down the verdict, adding that the sentences will be served concurrently.
Baba Ijesha was found guilty of sexually assaulting Princess Damilola Adekoya, who goes by the stage name Princess. Princess is the daughter of Baba Ijesha’s colleague, actress and comedienne, Damilola Adekoya.
It is important to keep in mind that officers from the Nigeria Police Department detained Baba Ijesha in April 2021 for having sex**l relations with the victim when she was only seven years old.
On April 19, 2021, Princess went to the Sabo Police Station to report him, and he was taken to the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Yaba, Lagos, so that a proper investigation could be conducted.
The suspect admitted to committing the offense, and he was also caught on camera by a surveillance system installed in the victim’s home.
A few days later, Baba Ijesha was taken into custody and arraigned in front of Justice Taiwo on a six-count charge of child defilement. The charges included allegations of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault by penetration.
Following additional court proceedings, the judge ruled that it was possible that the CCTV recordings of Baba Ijesha had been altered in some way.
Adeleke Lawrence, a defence witness and an expert in CCTV installation and maintenance, made this suggestion in front of an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court in February of 2022.
During his testimony in the ongoing trial of the Nollywood comedian, Lawrence made a passing reference to this while he was being led in evidence by Babatunde Ogala (SAN).
As a direct result of Ogala’s request, the resumption of the proceedings included the viewing of four video recordings of Baba Ijesha.
The case was finally resolved in June of 2022 during the final court appearance, and the date of the final judgment was set for July 14, 2022.
The judge came to the conclusion that there was no evidence presented to the court that demonstrated that the troubled Nollywood actor had been subjected to any form of coercion in order to provide the statement to the police.
