Court Sentences Nollywood Actor To 16 Years Imprisonment For Assaulting Minor

The Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court sitting in the Ikeja area has convicted and sentenced Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha to 16 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old minor.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, in a judgment that lasted two hours also convicted Baba Ijesha of four out of the six counts for which he was charged by the Lagos State government.

The charge against him borders on allegations of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault by penetration.

Baba Ijesha was pronounced guilty of counts 2,3,4 and 5 while the prosecution could not prove counts one and six which were: sexual assault by penetration and attempted sexual assault by penetration.

In her sentence, the court said, “I hereby find the defendant guilty of counts two to five and he is discharged of counts one and six. The defendant is hereby sentenced to five years imprisonment for count two, three years for count three, five years for count four and three years for count five.”

The sentence adds up to 16 years but the court held that the sentence is to run concurrently starting from the day he was convicted. This means that Baba Ijesha will only spend five years in prison.

After the judgement, the convict broke down in tears, weeping and saying he did not commit the offence. He was however surrounded by his colleagues in the industry who came to console him.

-Channelstv