Popular Yoruba actor, Olanrewaju James, known as Baba Ijesha, has taken steps to challenge his conviction for sexual assault of a minor at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
In July 2022, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court sentenced Baba Ijesha to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
The court sentenced Baba Ijesha to a total of 16 years in prison for the charges he was convicted of.
The judge found that the prosecution provided sufficient evidence to prove the charges, despite the defense’s attempt to discredit the CCTV footage evidence.
Unhappy with the verdict, Baba Ijesha has now appealed the judgment, seeking to have his conviction overturned.
His lawyer, Kayode Olabiran, argued before the appeal court that his client was framed and that his actions were part of a scripted scenario initiated by his colleague.
“The Appellant was set up. The Appellant is an actor. He acted in a script that he was invited to act by his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya,” Olabiran stated.
However, the Director of Public Prosecution, Dr. Babajide Martins, countered the appeal, urging the court to dismiss it on the grounds of lacking merit and being based on misconceptions.
Martins emphasized the importance of upholding the judgment of the lower court.
