JUST IN: Court grants Baba Ijesha bail over alleged sexual assault

The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja granted Olanrewaju Omiyinka, AKA Baba Ijesha, bail on Thursday afternoon over defilement trial.

The High Court granted bail to the popular Nigerian actor who was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager.

Baba Ijesha was arraigned before the Special Offences Court in Lagos on charges of sexual assault, indecent treatment of a child, and sexual assault by penetration.

The actor was granted bail on the ground that it was part of his fundamental human rights.

Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the judge, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2 million.

Mrs Taiwo said bail is a constitutional right and not a discretionary right.

She said granting him bail is to release him from the custody of the law and entrust him to appear for trial when required to.

“The freedom is temporary in the sense that it lasts only for the period of trial.

“The defendant is thereby granted bail in sum of N2million and two sureties in like sum. One of the surety must be a blood relation of the applicant with clear proof of this relationship and must be resident in Lagos State and shall present evidence of having paid income tax in Lagos State in the last three years.

“The second surety shall be a legal practitioner as suggested by the defence counsel. The surety shall present evidence of bar and shall swear a oath to affidavit,” Mrs Taiwo said.

She added that the legal practitioner must have a residence and an office address in Lagos and enter a monetary bond of N1 million to be deposited with the chief registrar who shall approve the surety.

Baba Ijesha has been in detention since April 22.

The trial was adjourned to July 27.

Baba Ijesha court trial: Actor Omiyinka Olanrewaju to face these charges

Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner Moyosore Onigbanjo in a statement says:

Police forwarded the case to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions [DPP] for legal advise.

DPP recommends Baba Ijesha to face five provisions of the 2015 Criminal Law of Lagos State.

These provisions include:

1. Section 135, Indecent Treatment of a child – punishable by 7 years imprisonment
2. Section 137, Defilement of a Child, punishable by life imprisonment
3. Section 261, Sexual Assault by Penetration – punishable by life imprisonment
4. Section 262, Attempted Sexual Assault by Penetration – punishable by 14 years imprisonment and
5. Section 263, Sexual Assault – punishable by 3 years imprisonment