WHY POPULAR COMEDIAN (BABA IJESA) CANT BE PROSECUTED FOR RAPE

The Nigerian police force has annouces that the popular nollywood comedian Olanrewaju Omiyinka (aka Baba Ijesa) will be released on bail today Thursday 29th of April 2021. Partly because of the strike action embarked on by the judicial system of the country. However, investigation into the recent allegation against Omiyinka revealed that he did not defile the victim, when she was questioned, the victim confirmed the same.

The police officer in charge of the case stated, “There was no case of defilement, people are just talking out of sentiment. They are not talking from the point of law. We interviewed all parties involved in the case for three hours on Wednesday. The CCTV footage never showed Baba Ijesha defiling her, but he confessed to touching her body indecently and apologised, and the girl confirmed the same.

The mother complained that her child was at the age of seven when she was defiled and the child pointed at Baba Ijesha. But the case was not reported until she was 14 years and under the law, the case has become statute-barred. Regarding the case of the CCTV footage, it has been assessed and nowhere was it captured that Baba Ijesha defiled her. The footage only showed him touching the victim’s body but it never showed him having any sexual intercourse with the girl. 

So, in law, it is a case of indecent assault and not sexual harassment, and it is open to bail.  So, can we continue to keep him when the offence is subject to bail and when there is no court sitting? That is against his fundamental human rights. Although, investigation would continue, adding that the command had also sought legal opinion from the state Ministry of Justice.