Baba Ijesha’s name entered in sexual offenders register

Baba Iijesha

The name of Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, has been entered into the register of sexual offenders in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency confirmed this to one of our correspondents on Friday.

This is as the International Federation of Women Lawyers described the judgment as a welcome development.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said, “All details of sex convicts are immediately enrolled into the sex offenders registers once a conviction is secured.”

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on Thursday sentenced Baba Ijesha to 16 years imprisonment, adding that the jail terms were to run concurrently for five years.

He had faced six counts of child defilement that include indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault by penetration proffered against him by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

Although the prosecution argued that the offences contravened sections 135, 137, 261, 202, 262, and 263 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015, which stipulates life imprisonment for offenders, Baba Ijesha pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

A Closed-Circuit Television video recording detailing his relationship with the victim said to be a minor was played in court.

But delivering the judgement, Justice Taiwo, who said that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty of all the charges against him, found the defendant guilty of four of the six counts against him.

Baba Ijesha was found guilty of count two, three, four and five; for count two, he was jailed for three years; count three, five years; count four, three years, and bagged five years for count five.

The defendant was arraigned on June 24, 2021, during which six prosecution witnesses, including actress and comedienne, Princess; the 14-year-old minor, a child expert, Mrs Olabisi Ajayi-Kayode; and a medical doctor, Dr Aniekan Makanjuola, testified against him.

The Chairperson of FIDA, Badagry branch, Adaku Mbama, added, however, that Baba Ijesha was lucky to have not been convicted for sexual assault by penetration which would have made him liable for life imprisonment.

“He is extremely lucky because under our laws if he was convicted of penetration, it is life imprisonment. To go further, the man had indecent treatment of a child and a child is very vulnerable. So, thank goodness he (Baba Ijesha) escaped life imprisonment because if he went ahead to defile or even rape the child as it were under Section 260 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State which states that if there is a penetration of a child or a girl, the punishment is life imprisonment.

“One thing about criminal justice is it will always be there for life. If anybody commits any criminal offence and thinks that after some years, seven years, 10 years, it cannot be dug up, it will always be dug up,” Mbama said.

She further said FIDA expected the state government to immediately enter the convict’s name in the register of sexual offenders.