By Akinwale Kasali
Govt says Appeal Court upheld conviction which the convict served to the end.
Contrary to the news being spread around by Nollywood Actor, Yomi Fabiyi, that Olanrewaju James, popular as Baba Ijesha, has been discharged and acquitted of all charges leveled against him by the Court of Appeal the Lagos State Government, LASG says there was no such thing.
The LASG described the report of the release of Baba Ijesha as peddled by Fabiyi as misleading and capable of confusing the public.
The State’s Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, dismissed Fabiyi’s story that Baba Ijesha has been cleared of all charges by the Court of Appeal in his case involving the abuse of a minor.
Pedro said the claim was not only untrue but a distortion of what happened in Court.
He explained that the court never declared the actor innocent of the offences. According to him, Fabiyi’s statements created a wrong impression and made it necessary for his office to set the record straight.
Pedro gave a breakdown of the legal journey. He noted that a Lagos High Court convicted Baba Ijesha on July 14, 2022, for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child, over events that happened in 2021.
The actor received a five-year and a three-year sentence, which were to run concurrently.
He added that on June 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal only overturned the charges linked to allegations from 2013–2014, but confirmed the conviction and sentence related to the 2021 assault.
The Attorney-General stressed that this correction has been documented publicly and has never changed.
He further mentioned that Baba Ijesha took the case to the Supreme Court, but the appeal was struck out on May 29, 2025, because it was not filed properly.
A later request for permission to bring a fresh appeal was rejected on October 9, 2025.
Following this development, the Court of Appeal judgment remained final.
Pedro clarified that the actor’s release happened simply because he had completed the prison term upheld by the Appeal Court.
He warned that it should not be mistaken for an acquittal or a declaration of innocence.
He repeated that “Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child,” urging the public to ignore any story suggesting otherwise. He also cautioned Fabiyi and any platform repeating the false report to stop immediately.
Speaking further, Pedro said that his office would consider criminal charges under Lagos law if the misinformation continues, especially because spreading false news that can cause fear or confusion is an offence.
He reaffirmed the State’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring that the outcomes of criminal cases are presented correctly to the public.
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