Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has again claimed he was framed in the child sexual abuse case that led to his imprisonment, insisting he is not a paedophile and that people conspired against him.
He made the remarks in a recent interview with Agbaletu Uncensored.
“I am not a paedophile, I don’t even know what it means until I was in prison,” he said.
Baba Ijesha challenged key parts of the account that led to his conviction.
“The house where I was caught on camera, I have never been there before,” he stated.
He also recounted what he told his accusers while in prison after being accused of using a key to deflower a seven-year-old girl.
“They said I used a key to deflower a 7-year-old. I told them I also have a girl child; when is time they should do likewise to her if I truly did it. I laid that curse,” he said.
In the same interview, he added that he once lived in the house of actor Adebayo Salami with many girl children and that nothing of the sort ever happened. He also claimed he taught actress Iyabo Ojo how to act.
The case dates back to 2021, when Baba Ijesha was arrested following allegations of sexual assault involving the then-14-year-old foster daughter of comedienne Damilola Adekoya, known as Princess. A Lagos State High Court convicted him in July 2022 on counts related to the 2021 incident, including sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child, and sentenced him to concurrent terms that amounted to an effective five-year custodial sentence.
The Court of Appeal later upheld the convictions tied to the 2021 events while setting aside others linked to earlier years. Further appeals to the Supreme Court were struck out or dismissed. He was released from prison on 14 November 2025 after serving the term affirmed by the Appeal Court. Lagos State authorities clarified that the release was solely because he had completed his sentence, not because he had been acquitted or cleared. His name was entered on the Lagos State Sex Offenders Register.
Since his release, Baba Ijesha has repeatedly maintained that he was set up, including in a song and in other interviews. The latest comments revive the long-running controversy and continue to draw sharp public reaction, with some pointing to the court findings and CCTV evidence that underpinned the conviction, while others continue to debate the details of the case.