Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, has refuted online claims suggesting that Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, regained his freedom because he was cleared by the Court of Appeal.
Pedro described the circulating reports as false, misleading, and irresponsible.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Sunday, the Attorney-General addressed a social media post by actor Yomi Fabiyi, who alleged that Baba Ijesha had been acquitted of all charges, including those relating to the sexual assault of a minor.
According to the report, Pedro condemned the assertions, saying they amounted to a “gross misrepresentation of court proceedings and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”
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He explained that the clarification became necessary after Fabiyi claimed the appellate court had declared the actor innocent of defiling a minor and dismissed the case as a “charade.”
Recounting the case history, Pedro noted that the Lagos State High Court had, on July 14, 2022, convicted Baba Ijesha of sexual assault and the indecent treatment of a child in relation to incidents that occurred in 2021. He received five-year and three-year sentences respectively, to run concurrently.
He added that on June 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment on the actor’s challenge to the conviction. While the court set aside charges linked to alleged offences from 2013 and 2014, it upheld both the conviction and the sentence for the 2021 sexual assault.
Pedro further stated that Baba Ijesha’s appeal to the Supreme Court was struck out on May 29, 2025, for incompetence, and a later application seeking permission to file a new appeal was also dismissed on October 9, 2025. Consequently, the Court of Appeal’s decision remains final and fully in effect.
The Attorney-General stressed that the actor’s release was based solely on the completion of his prison term as affirmed by the appellate court, not because he was discharged, acquitted, or absolved of wrongdoing.
“Mr Olanrewaju James was never exonerated of sexual assault or the indecent treatment of a child,” Pedro said, describing Fabiyi’s claims as baseless and capable of causing needless public anxiety.
He urged the public to disregard the misleading reports and cautioned Fabiyi—along with media platforms sharing the claims—to desist immediately.
Pedro also warned that the Ministry of Justice “will not hesitate to prosecute anyone found publishing false information with the intent to cause fear or alarm,” an offence punishable under Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law.
