Baba Ijesha’s release not an acquittal – Lagos Attorney-General clarifies
The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, has dismissed reports alleging that Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was acquitted and cleared of all charges — including those related to the sexu@l assault of a minor by the Court of Appeal.
Actor Yomi Fabiyi had on Friday, November 14, claimed that Baba Ijesha was released from prison after the Court of Appeal supposedly threw out the sexu@l abuse case. Fabiyi further alleged that the appellate court exonerated the actor and described the entire prosecution as a charade.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Sunday, November the Attorney-General described the circulating narrative as false, misleading and irresponsible, stressing that it was a complete distortion of the judicial record and capable of severely misleading the public.
“No such clearance occurred at any stage of the judicial process,” Pedro stated firmly.
He confirmed that the High Court of Lagos State, on July 14, 2022, convicted Baba Ijesha for sexu@l assault and indecent treatment of a child over incidents that occurred in 2021, sentencing him to five years and three years respectively, to run concurrently.
Pedro explained that while the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on June 28, 2024, set aside convictions relating to alleged offences from 2013 to 2014, it unequivocally upheld the conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexu@l assault charges.
“The conviction was further solidified after a subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was first struck out on May 29, 2025, on grounds of incompetence. A final motion for leave to file a fresh appeal was dismissed on October 9, 2025, thereby leaving the Court of Appeal judgment, which affirmed the 2021 conviction, fully intact,” the AG stated
Pedro clarified that the convict’s release was strictly because he had completed his full term of imprisonment as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, not because he was discharged or acquitted.
“Mr Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexu@l assault and indecent treatment of a child,” the AG insisted.
He urged Lagos residents and the wider public to disregard the circulating claims and cautioned Fabiyi, including any platform amplifying the falsehood, to desist immediately.
Pedro warned that his office would not hesitate to initiate criminal proceedings for publication of false news with intent to cause fear or alarm, an offence under Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law, should the misinformation persist.
