The Lagos Attorney-General has emphasized that Baba Ijesha served his full term in prison and was not acquitted.
Glamtush reports that the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, has dismissed viral reports claiming that Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was acquitted and cleared of all charges, including sexual offences involving a minor, by the Court of Appeal.
Speaking this morning, 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.
Pedro said his office was alarmed by a social media post authored by actor, Yomi Fabiyi, and later reproduced in an online publication, which alleged that the appellate court had exonerated Baba ljesha and that the entire case was a charade.
“No such clearance occurred at any stage of the judicial process,” Pedro stated firmly. The Attorney-General outlined the full litigation history to set the record straight.
He confirmed that the High Court of Lagos State, on July 14, 2022, convicted Baba ljesha for sexual 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 sexual 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 sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child,” the AG insisted.
