Court of Appeal Affirms Baba Ijesha’s 5-Year Conviction for Sexual Assault of Minor

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has upheld the judgement of a Lagos State High Court, sentencing Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, known as Baba Ijesha, to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor.

The appellate court, in its lead judgement delivered on Friday by Justice Folashade Ojo found the appellant (Baba Ijesha) guilty on counts four and five, where he was accused of indecently touching a minor and sexually assaulting her.

Earlier on, the trial judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, sentenced Baba Ijesha to five years in prison on July 14, 2022, for the sexual assault of a minor. The court found him guilty of indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault between 2013 and 2014, contrary to Section 135 of Lagos State Criminal Law 2015.

However, dissatisfied, Baba Ijesha, through his attorney, Mr. Kayode Olabiran, petitioned the appeal court to contest the judgement of the lower court, seeking that it set aside his conviction and sentence.

Justice Ojo, being the judge, stated that the appellant made an extrajudicial statement at the Sabo Police Station in Lagos State on April 19, 2021, and another statement at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti on April 28, 2021, all of which were tendered as evidence.

According to the judge, in the two statements, the appellant acknowledged indecently touching and molesting PW2 (the victim) while she was alone with him in PW1’s (Damilola Adekoya) flat.

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Overall, the judge concluded that the appeal was partially successful and partially granted.

The judge ordered as follows, “The appellant’s conviction, and sentence to five years imprisonment for the offence of indecently touching of a child contrary to Section 135 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011 (count two of the charge) is set aside.

“The Appellant conviction of three years imprisonment for the offence of sexual assault of a child contrary to section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011 (count three of the charge) is set aside.

“I affirm the conviction and sentence of the appellant to five years imprisonment for the offence of indecent treatment of a child contrary to section 135 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 (count four of the charge).”

“The appellant’s conviction and sentence to three years imprisonment for sexual assault contrary to section 263 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011 (count five of the information) is also affirmed.

“The sentences for counts four and five are to run concurrently,” Justice Ojo further held.