The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, has refuted reports that Nollywood actor Baba Ijesha was acquitted and cleared of all charges, including sexual offences involving a minor, by the Court of Appeal. He recently described the reports as false and misleading, and Nigerians have been reacting.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Sunday, the Attorney-General said that the reports are irresponsible, stating that it is a total distortion of the judicial record that is being circulated to mislead the public.
“No such clearance occurred at any stage of the judicial process,” he clarified.
According to him, even though the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on June 28, 2024, set aside convictions relating to alleged offences from 2013 to 2014, it unequivocally upheld the conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexual assault charges.
“The conviction was further solidified after a subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was first struck out on May 29, 2025, on grounds of incompetence.
A final motion for leave to file a fresh appeal was dismissed on October 9, 2025, thereby leaving the Court of Appeal judgment, which affirmed the 2021 conviction, fully intact,” he continued.
He noted that Baba Ijesha’s release was strictly because he had completed his full term of imprisonment, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, not because he was discharged or acquitted.
Pedro concluded by warning Lagosians and Nigerians to disregard the circulating claims, stressing that Fabiyi and any other person or platform spreading the falsehood must desist immediately.
“Mr Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child,” he added.
