Just In: Baba Ijesha released from Police Custody

Mouthpiece NGR reports that a Chief Magistrate, Oluwatoyin Oghre, on Sunday granted N500,000 bail to detained Nollywood actor, Mr. Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha for alleged sexual assault.

In a telephone chat with Vanguard, His lawyer, Adesina Ogunlana, said his client was granted bail by Chief Magistrate Oghre in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties.

Ogunlana said: “Yes, I can confirm to you that my client has been granted bail by Chief Magistrate Oghre who was on a visit to the police command under the prisons and detention centre decongestion programme.

The terms of the bail include two reliable sureties- a blood relation and a level 10 civil servant. We are currently working to meet the bail conditions.”

Baba Ijesha was arrested on April 22, for allegedly sexually molesting a minor and remained in police detention due to the ongoing strike embarked on by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN.

In a legal advice to the police on the matter, Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, had on May 4, noted that after due consideration of the case file forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, by the police on April 30, 2021, a prima facie case was established against Baba Ijesha.

Onigbanjo stated that Baba Ijesha would be charged with sexual assault and defilement under the provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The AG also hinted that the suspect would be charged under Section 135, indecent treatment of a child punishable by 7 years imprisonment; Section 137, defilement of a child-, punishable by life imprisonment; Section 261, Sexual Assault by penetration punishable by life imprisonment; Section 262, Attempted Sexual Assault by Penetration, punishable by 14 years imprisonment and Section 263, Sexual Assault punishable by three years imprisonment.