Baba Ijesha, the embattled actor, has asked the court of appeal in Lagos to overturn his conviction for sexual assault.
Baba Ijesha was arraigned on June 24, 2021, on a six-count charge of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration, and sexual assault by penetration.
On July 14, 2022, a Lagos high court sentenced the actor to 16 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor.
His 16-year jail term is expected to run concurrently. This means that the movie actor will spend five years behind bars.
Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the presiding judge, convicted and sentenced the actor after he was found guilty of four counts out of six.
But on Tuesday, Baba Ijesha challenged his jail term through Kayode Olabiran, his legal counsel.
Olabiran told the appeal court that his client was set up and that he was merely “acting according to a script” provided by a colleague.
He also claimed that the actor gave his confessional statement “under duress”.
The counsel argued that Baba Ijesha’s conviction was “done in error” and urged the court to set it aside.
“The appellant was set up. The appellant is an actor. He acted in a script that he was invited to act by his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya,” Olabiran said.
“Damilola Adekoya, asked the appellant to come and act a script. It is 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 video of the scene of the acting was tendered by the prosecution.
“Based on his confessional statement as at the day of the arrest, he was under duress and there were so many people who were beating him. That was when he confessed to the offense.”
However, Babajide Martins, the director of the public prosecution, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, adding that “it lacks merit”.
Martins prayed the court to affirm the judgment of the lower court.
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