Baba Ijesha, a popular Nollywood actor whose real name is Olanrewaju James, appealed his conviction for sexually assaulting a minor at the Lagos State High Court on Tuesday, April 23.
DAILY INSIDER recalls that James was arrested on April 22, 2021, and first appeared before Magistrate P.E. Nwaka of the Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos on July 16, 2021.
Subsequently, he was arraigned at the Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, who ultimately delivered the judgment.
He was found guilty on July 14, 2022, on four of the six counts — indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault by penetration.
However, he was dissatisfied with the judgment and decided to challenge his five-year jail sentence.
Represented by his lawyer, Kayode Olabiran, Baba Ijesha argued in the appeal court that he was set up and merely acted out a script given to him by a colleague.
Under Section 221 of the criminal code, it’s a misdemeanor to defile girls between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, punishable by up to two years in prison.
However, according to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, anyone found guilty of sexually penetrating another person without their consent faces a life sentence.
Lagos Bishop Sentenced to Life in Prison Over Rape, Sexual Assault
A clergyman, Bishop Oluwafeyiropo Daniels, was convicted of rape and sexual assault on Friday, January 26, by the Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court.
Bishop Feyi Daniels received a life sentence for the rape charge and an additional three years in prison for sexually assaulting two members of his church.