The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by renowned Nollywood actor Baba Ijesha, who seeks to overturn his conviction by a Lagos State High Court.
In the wake of his conviction for the sexual assault of a minor and subsequent sentencing to sixteen years in prison, Baba Ijesha approached the appellate court in a bid to challenge the ruling of the lower court. The notice of appeal, marked CA/LAG/CR/544/23, was duly submitted.
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, a three-man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Folasade Ojo, heard Baba Ijesha’s appeal and decided to reserve judgment for a later date to be communicated.
During the appeal proceedings, Baba Ijesha’s legal counsel, Kayode Olabiran, presented arguments asserting that the prosecution failed to establish the age of the alleged victim involved in the assault. Furthermore, Olabiran contended that his client had been set up.
Olabiran stated, “The charge itself revolves around the defilement of a minor, but the prosecution could not substantiate the age of the victim. The appellant was set up. As an actor, the appellant was invited by his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya, to act out a scripted scene. It is evident in the statement of PW1 at Panti Police Station that, unbeknownst to the appellant, there was CCTV footage in the sitting room.”
He continued, “Whatever we witnessed in that footage was part of the script orchestrated by the producer, and the video of the acting scene was tendered as evidence by the prosecution. Based on his confessional statement at the time of arrest, he was under duress and subjected to physical assault by numerous individuals, which led to his admission of guilt.”
It is worth noting that Baba Ijesha was initially detained on April 22, 2021, following his arrest by the Lagos State Police Command on allegations of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl under the care of Nollywood actress Princess.
According to the findings of child forensic expert Ajayi-Kayode, the clinical report on the minor revealed that Baba Ijesha allegedly engaged in sexual activities with the child on two occasions when she was seven years old. Additionally, it was alleged that he inserted his car key into her vagina during one of these incidents.
Ultimately, Baba Ijesha was found guilty of four out of the six counts he faced, leading to his conviction.
