The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, has dismissed reports alleging that embattled Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was freed after being exonerated by the Court of Appeal.
Describing the reports as “false, misleading and irresponsible,” Pedro said on Sunday that his office was disturbed by a social media post authored by actor Yomi Fabiyi—later republished by an online platform—claiming that the appellate court had cleared Baba Ijesha of all charges, including sexual offences involving a minor.
Pedro stressed that the claim amounted to a deliberate distortion of judicial records and was capable of misleading the public.
He explained that Fabiyi’s suggestion that the Court of Appeal declared the entire trial a “charade” and absolved the actor of all wrongdoing was completely untrue.
According to him, no court at any stage of the proceedings ever issued such clearance.
Detailing the litigation history, the Attorney-General recalled that the Lagos State High Court, on July 14, 2022, convicted Baba Ijesha of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child for incidents that occurred in 2021, sentencing him to five years and three years imprisonment respectively, to run concurrently.
Pedro further noted that when the actor appealed the judgment, the Court of Appeal on June 28, 2024, only set aside convictions relating to alleged offences from 2013–2014 but affirmed the conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexual assault.
He added that Baba Ijesha’s attempt to challenge the appeal court’s decision at the Supreme Court was unsuccessful.
The apex court struck out his appeal on May 29, 2025, for incompetence, and later dismissed his motion for leave to file a fresh appeal on October 9, 2025. This left the appeal court judgment fully intact.
The Attorney-General clarified that Baba Ijesha’s release was solely due to his completion of the jail term affirmed by the Court of Appeal, not because he was acquitted.
“Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child,” Pedro emphasized, warning that Fabiyi’s claims were baseless and capable of causing public alarm.
He urged the public to disregard the misinformation and cautioned Fabiyi—and any platform amplifying the falsehood—to desist. Pedro added that the state government may initiate criminal proceedings for publication of false news with intent to cause fear or alarm, an offence under Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law, if such misleading claims persist.
