Court admit ‘Baba Ijesha’ to N2M bail

Nollywood actor Omiyinka Olanrewaju aka Baba Ijesha was today admitted to a N2 million bail by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo sitting at the Sexual offences Court, Ikeja.

Nollywood actor, Omiyinka Olanrewaju, aka Baba Ijesha, has been admitted to a N2 million bail by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo sitting at the Sexual Offences Court, Ikeja.

Baba Ijesha is being prosecuted by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and charged with the alleged defilement of a minor.

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The Court held on Thursday that one of the sureties must be a blood relation and must be resident in Lagos, in addition, the surety must provide evidence of income tax in the last three years.

The judge also held that the second surety must be a legal practitioner and shall swear to an affidavit and be verified by the registrar of the court.

According to the Court, the defendant and a relative shall enter into a one million Naira bail bond.

The judge further ruled that the defendant be released to his lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Ogala, pending the perfection of his bail.

The defendant, in the Yoruba language, pleaded not guilty to a six-count charge of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault by penetration contrary to Sections 135, 263 and 262 of the Criminal Law Ch C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 and sexual assault by penetration contrary to Sections 259 Criminal Law Ch C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, urged Justice Taiwo to remand the defendant in the correctional centre as she opposed the application for bail by Ogala, SAN, who announced that 19 lawyers were in court to defend the suspect.

But the judge refused all the appearances, saying that only six lawyers should suffice in the matter.

Addressing the court, the team’s lead counsel said he had filed a bail application and have served the same on the prosecuting team.

He urged the court to grant them an audience to argue the bail application.

While opposing the bail, the state counsel, Mrs Adeyemi, said that her team was yet to verify the medical report which the defendants relied on for his bail consideration.

She argued: “One of the offences is sexual assault by penetration which carries life imprisonment and that is a very serious offence.

“Grant of bail, My Lord is not a constitutional right, it is a discretional thing,” she said.

She added that the judge should be cautious of granting the defendant bail because of the rampant nature of the crime.

“When a crime is rampant, the court should take judicial notice and be cautious in granting bail”, she noted, citing a decided case decision of the Supreme Court in Ogbehemhe vs. Commissioner of Police, 2001.

The judge however queried the state prosecutor if the defendant had been granted bail.

But the State informed the judge that owing to the fact that the case had been filed before a High Court, the case shouldn’t have gone through such process.

She insisted that the defendant might jump bail if not denied.

Earlier on June 16, a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court had denied Baba Ijesha bail.