Lagos AG debunks claims Baba Ijesha was “cleared,” says he served full sentence for sexual assault

The Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), has refuted reports that actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was exonerated by the Court of Appeal.

He described the circulating narrative as “false, misleading, and irresponsible.”

Pedro issued the clarification in response to claims made by actor Yomi Fabiyi and amplified by an online publication, which alleged that the appellate court had cleared Baba Ijesha of all charges, including sexual offences involving a minor.

The Attorney-General stated that these assertions are a complete distortion of the judicial record.

Providing the case history, Pedro explained that the Lagos High Court convicted Baba Ijesha on July 14, 2022, for the sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child in 2021, sentencing him to five years imprisonment.

“While the Court of Appeal, in a June 2024 judgment, set aside convictions related to separate alleged incidents from 2013-2014, it unequivocally upheld his conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexual assault charges,” Pedro clarified.

He further revealed that Baba Ijesha’s subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was struck out as incompetent, and a final motion was dismissed in October 2025.

The Attorney-General emphatically stated that Baba Ijesha was never cleared.

His release from prison was solely because he had completed the full term of his sentence as affirmed by the Court of Appeal.

“Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child,” Pedro reiterated.

He warned Fabiyi and any media platforms spreading the false information to desist immediately, noting that his office would not hesitate to initiate criminal proceedings for the publication of false news under Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law.

Pedro concluded by reaffirming the state government’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring the accurate public representation of judicial outcomes.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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