Nollywood actor Olanrewaju Omiyinka, known as Baba Ijesha, has described prison as the place where prayers are answered most, claiming that many sudden deaths outside are linked to the prayers and curses of inmates.
He made the remarks during an interview with Dele Adeyanju on Agabletu TV. Reflecting months after his release, he called life behind bars bitter and said he was made a scapegoat.
“Youth should be careful in their dealings. What you think may not lead to prison may land you in prison,” he said.
Asked about the experience, he said:
“Bitter. Bitter because I was a scapegoat. Do you know, many want people to learn a lesson from celebrities.”
He said celebrity status offered no protection.
“Some warders are more wicked than police. Those in offices are different. There are some that deal with criminals. They don’t know who is celebrity. They don’t listen to the radio or pay attention to anything. You can see those kinds of people. If it is time to cry, you will cry, and if it is time to laugh, you will laugh.”
Baba Ijesha recounted his shock at seeing well-to-do people and even ministers treated like commoners inside.
“Do you know what I mean? Some people many think travel abroad are actually in prison. Let me shock you. There is someone I blocked after calling him many times, and he did not pick up. It was in my second month in prison; he told someone to call me. I was shocked.”
He claimed a large share of inmates are wrongly held.
“There are about 65% there that are innocent. There is a guy there called No Case. Dear government, please. Some people are in Kirikiri Prison, some are in the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, and others are in Ikoyi. You need to hear their stories and see what they are going through. Some of you judges and lawyers. You need to listen to their stories and see what is happening.”
Then he centered his message on prayer.
“Do you know prison is where prayer answer most? I am telling powerful people that when you put someone in a position of authority and they become overwhelmed by power or encounter certain problems, whether legal issues or otherwise, there are things you need to reconsider. People are praying in prison.”
He continued:
“People will continue praying until they pick a stone and use it to cut themselves till blood is coming out. The person will lick the blood and tell God, ‘If I am guilty of offense I am here for, let this, and this happen to me.’ But if I don’t know anything about it… That is why I said leaders should be considerate. Many sudden deaths are from prison, and they don’t use knives. It is the power of prayer. The person I called No Case. The person that put him there apologised before dying. And the No Case is still in prison,” he said.
A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja sentenced him in July 2022 to concurrent terms of five years and three years for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child over a 2021 incident. The Court of Appeal later set aside some earlier convictions but upheld the sexual assault ruling. The Lagos State Government clarified that he was not acquitted but released after serving his sentence, and his name was added to the state’s sex offenders’ register. He has repeatedly rejected the paedophile and rapist labels, claiming in earlier interviews that he was lured with food and money under the pretext of a movie role.