Baba Ijesha Served Out Prison Term, His Conviction Was Never Vacated-Lagos Justice Commissioner
Contrary to the media reports claiming that a popular actor, Olanrewaju James aka Baba Ijesha, regained his freedom after his conviction was vacated via a Court of Appeal ruling, he was actually left off the hook because he had served out his prison term, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, has submitted.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Pedro, who made the clarification while talking to journalists in Lagos on Sunday, also described as ‘false, misleading and irresponsible’ the media reports claiming that Baba Ijesha was cleared of wrongdoing by the Court of Appeal.
The Justice Commissioner noted that his office was alarmed by Yomi Fabiyi’s social media post which served as news source for some online news outlets.
Fabiyi, an actor, had claimed that the appellate court had declared that Baba Ijesha was free from blame in respect of the charges that he was declared convicted.
Pedro however noted that such statements are a complete distortion of the judicial record which can mislead the public.
The Attorney-General said no such clearance occurred at any stage of the judicial process while noting that on July 14, 2022, the Lagos State High Court convicted Baba Ijesha of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child over incidents that occurred in 2021, and he eventually got a 5-year sentence and a 3-year sentence that were made to run concurrently.
‘On June 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, delivered judgment on his appeal. While the court set aside convictions relating to alleged offences from 2013–2014, it upheld the conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexual assault charges’ Pedro submitted while noting that Baba Ijesha filed an appeal at the Supreme Court which was struck out on May 29, 2025, on the grounds of incompetence.
A subsequent motion for leave to file a fresh appeal was dismissed on October 9, 2025, thereby leaving the Court of Appeal judgment fully intact.
He emphasized that the convict’s release was strictly because he had served out his prison term.
‘Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child’ the commissioner added while noting that Fabiyi’s assertions are wholly untrue and capable of misleading the public.
He urged Lagos residents and the wider public to disregard the claims of innocence while asking Fabiyi and any platform amplifying the falsehood, to desist immediately.
Pedro said the publication of false news with intent to cause fear or alarm is an offence under Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law and that the Office of the Attorney-General will not hesitate to file charges against anyone who continues to spread the misinformation-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
