Popular Nollywood Yoruba actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha has been granted pending the resumption of Judicial workers who are currently on strike.
His lawyer, Adesina Ademola Ogunlana throws more light on how Baba Ijesha who was accused of raping a 14-year-old since she was 7, was granted bail rights.
In a video posted online, Ogunlana said that, “Our client that has been in detention for more than 30 days has been granted bail at the facility of his detention. The magistrate that granted him bail is Chief Magistrate Toyin of the Lagos State Judiciary.
“The Chief Magistrate in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, in partnership with a private organisation, Police Decongestion Scheme led by a former chairman of the NBA in Ikorodu, Bayo Akinade, visited Panti and under the decongestion scheme, visited the facility and met Baba Ijesha.
“Something was curious there, his name was not even entered as very much reliably learnt. The Chief Magistrate being bold and experienced, demanded to see him and he was brought to see the team.
“He came towards them limping and as we have described before, he was emaciated and bail was granted him summarily by the Chief Magistrate and this is very commendable.
Baba Ijesha’s counsel stressed that the bail was granted “essentially on health grounds” considering that the offence is bailable.
“The conditions of bail are that Baba Ijesha must have 2 sureties. One of the sureties must be a level 10 officer, a civil servant. The other should be a blood relation of the thespian.
“The bail is put at N500,000. It’s not security. It is just a bond that if he should run away, the sureties will pay that. We are very sure he will not run away. The verification is to be done by the OC Legal of the SCID, Panti.”
Ogunlana hailed the development as good news and victory for everyone.
According to him, “It is not a victory for Baba Ijesha alone. It is for everybody. Rights must be respected. Laws must be respected. The idea of mob lynching, the idea of lopsided action when it comes to rights and privileges of fellow citizens should be decried.
“I want to appreciate Chief Magistrate Toyin for the courage, for doing the right thing. For stepping Tinto this matter. You remember the police had pandered to the public of some activists who were saying he should never be released but hung it on the neck of JUSUN strike that they would have charged the man to court and were even talking about Attorney General of Lagos which, with due respect to him, I wonder in the history of defilement, how can somebody who is not biased, who is not malicious say a prima facie case of defilement has been disclosed upon the fats of the case ? We will look into that and take that up. Baba Ijesha’s rights have been brazenly brutalised.”
The lawyer concluded that, “As far as we are concerned, both the police and the Ministry of Justice are to be indicted for the unnecessary brutalisation of Baba Ijesha’s rights. If a person is entitled, you give him his entitlement.”
Read also:
Life Imprisonment May Be Slammed on Baba Ijesha for Defiling Minor (video)
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