Olanrewaju James, an embattled Nollywood actor, professionally known as Baba Ijesha, has filed an appeal challenging his five-year imprisonment.
On July 14, 2022, Premium Times reported that Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Ikeja Special Offences Court convicted and sentenced the comic actor for raping a 14-year-old minor after over 12 months of trial.
In its Tuesday report, Channels TV stated that Baba Ijesha, in an appeal filed by his lawyer, Kayode Olabiran, asked the court to set aside his conviction.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Baba Ijesha’s counsel told the court that the appeal was filed on June 1, 2023.
Olabiran informed the court that Baba Ijesha was set up, insisting that he acted according to a script his colleague invited him to perform.
He said the prosecution did not prove his client sexually assaulted the victim.
The Channels TV quotes of the actor’s counsel read thus: “The charge itself is centered on defilement of a minor, but the prosecution couldn’t prove the age of the victim.
“The Appellant was set up. The Appellant is an actor. He acted in a script that his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya, invited him to act in.
“(PW1) Damilola Adekoya asked the Appellant to come and act a script. In the statement of PW1, at Panti Police Station, unknown to the appellant, there was a CCTV in the sitting room.
“Whatever we watched in that movie was a script by the producer, and the prosecution tendered the video of the acting scene. Based on his confessional statement as at the day of the arrest, he was under duress, and so many people were beating him that was when he confessed to the offense.”
However, Babajide Martins, the Director of Public Prosecution, prayed the court to dismiss the appeal, citing its lack of merit and a misconception.
Martins urged the court to affirm the judgment of the lower court.
He further submitted that the victim was 17 years old when the incident occurred.
