The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has affirmed the judgment of a Lagos State High Court, sentencing Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor.
The appellate court found Baba Ijesha guilty of indecently touching and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old minor, contrary to Section 135 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015.
The court held that the prosecution successfully proved the charges against Baba Ijesha, and that the appellant’s conviction and sentence were justified.
The judgment sets aside Baba Ijesha’s conviction on indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault, which allegedly occurred between 2013 and 2014, but affirms his conviction and sentence for the offense committed on April 19, 2021.
The court ordered that the sentences for counts 4 and 5, which relate to indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault, respectively, shall run concurrently.
This decision upholds the initial conviction and sentence handed down by the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court in July 2022.
