Sexual Assault: Appeal Court Confirms Baba Ijesha’s 5-Year Sentence

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has upheld the 5-year prison sentence of actor Baba Ijesha.

NIGERIA NEWS 247 recalls that on July 12, 2022, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo (retd.) of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court sentenced the actor to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor.

Baba Ijesha, dissatisfied with the judgment, appealed through his counsel, Kayode Olabiran.

Delivering the appeal judgment on Thursday, June 27, 2024, Justice Folashade Ojo set aside the conviction for indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault of a minor between 2013-2014, describing the testimony of PW1 (Damilola Adekoya) as hearsay.

However, Justice Ojo found Adekoya’s eyewitness account of the April 19, 2021, incident credible, emphasizing that Baba Ijesha confessed to the crime in police statements.

The appellate court affirmed Baba Ijesha’s imprisonment for the indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault from the April 2021 incident, noting that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court ordered as follows: “I affirm the conviction and sentence of the appellant to 5 years imprisonment for the offence of indecent treatment of a child contrary to section 135 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 (count 4 of the charge).

“I also affirm the appellant’s conviction to 3 years imprisonment for sexual assault contrary to section 263 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011 (count 5 of the information).

“The sentences for counts 4 and 5 are to run concurrently.”