The Lagos State Government has refuted circulating reports suggesting that Nollywood actor Olarenwaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was acquitted of sexual offences involving a minor.
In a statement to journalists on Sunday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, described the reports as “false, misleading, and irresponsible,” noting that they distort the official judicial record and risk misleading the public.
He cited a social media post by actor Yomi Fabiyi later amplified by an online publication which wrongly implied that the case against Baba Ijesha had been a sham and that the actor had been exonerated.
Pedro stressed that “no such clearance ever occurred at any stage of the judicial process,” and outlined the litigation timeline to clarify the matter:
On July 14, 2022, the Lagos State High Court convicted Baba Ijesha of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child for offences committed in 2021, sentencing him to five and three years respectively, to run concurrently.
On June 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, set aside convictions linked to alleged offences from 2013–2014 but upheld the 2021 conviction and sentence.
An appeal to the Supreme Court was struck out on May 29, 2025, for procedural incompetence.
A final motion seeking leave to file a fresh appeal was dismissed on October 9, 2025, leaving the 2021 conviction affirmed.
The Attorney-General emphasized that the actor’s release was strictly a result of completing his sentence. “Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of sexual assault or indecent treatment of a child,” he stated.