The appeal by Nollywood actor,  Olanrewaju James, better known as Baba Ijesha, challenging his conviction by a Lagos State High Court over the sexual assault of a minor, has been adjourned by a Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos.

The appeal court reserved for judgment, the appeal, yesterday, after hearing arguments of parties.

Justice Folasade Ojo is leading the three-man panel of the appellate court. Other members of the panel are Justice Abdullahi Bayero and Justice Paul Bassi.

Baba Ijesha in the appeal, had asked the court to set aside the judgment of the lower court.

Recall that Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, now retired of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court, had on July 14, 2022,  convicted and sentenced Baba Ijesha to five years imprisonment over the sexual assault of a minor.

The judge found him guilty of four counts out of six counts, of the charges preferred against him by the Lagos State government.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, Baba Ijesha through his counsel, Mr Kayode Olabiran, appealed,  praying the appellate court to declare that his conviction and sentence were done in error.

At the hearing of the appeal, yesterday, Baba Ijesha’s counsel argued that the prosecution could not prove that Baba Ijesha sexually assaulted the victim.

Olabiran argued, “The charge itself is centered on defilement of a minor but the prosecution couldn’t prove the age of the victim.

“The appellant was set up. The appellant is an actor. He acted in a script that he was invited to act by his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya.

“(PW1) Damilola Adekoya, asked the appeallant to come and act a script. It is in the statement of PW1, at Panti Police Station, unknowingly to the appellant there was a CCTV in the sitting room.

“Whatever we watched in that movie was a script by the producer and the video of the scene of the acting was tendered by the prosecution.

“Based on his confessional statement as at the day of the arrest, he was under duress and there were so many people who were beating him that was when he confessed to the offence,” he said.

Olabiran urged the court to allow the appeal and  set aside the judgment of the lower court, delivered on July 14, 2022.

Responding, Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins urged the court to dismiss the appeal as it’s lacking in merit and also a misconception.

He urged the court to affirm the judgment of the lower court delivered on July 14, 2022, which convicted Baba Ijesha of indecent treatment of a child and sexual assault.

According to him, “At the time she (victim) gave evidence in 2021, she was 17 years old, which still makes her a child.”

Adanma Luke, the producer of the ill-fated movie, who had been silent since the day of the accident, in a series of videos on her Instagram page narrated her side of the story, claiming that the late Pope was offered a life jacket, but he rejected it because it was dirty.

She also revealed that she was supposed to be on the boat that capsized.

Luke further revealed that she couldn’t speak because she felt it was all a dream and hoping to be awakened from it. She added that she had been making efforts to recover the other bodies from the river and transporting them to their families to be laid to rest.

She said, “So, on that day, while I was getting ready to go drop the memory card with the crew on set, I was accompanied by my brother’s children. We were all supposed to be on that boat together. I was supposed to be on that boat.

“My production manager was calling me to bring the memory card, so they could start filming, and I told him to come and collect it. But, he insisted that I should bring it to them.

“When I got there and I saw Emeka, my DOP, sitting quietly with people surrounding him, I started shouting, ‘What is happening? Somebody talk to me’. Emeka then said, ‘JP, Abigail, Friday, and Precious are gone. I did not understand.

“My director was saying that he didn’t know what happened. He and the DOP wore life jackets. There was still one life jacket available; I don’t know who had it.

“But, my PM said that day, they saw life jackets there and took them. He even told the late Friday to send one to Junior Pope, but Junior Pope said it was dirty, so, he didn’t take it.

“The people who wore life jackets survived. They also told me that when they were in the water trying to survive, Junior Pope was also there, asking if everybody was okay. They even threw a gallon to him to hold onto, which he did. But, all of a sudden, they did not see him again.”

Breaking into tears, Luke added that she considered the people who lost their lives in the unfortunate boat mishap to be her family, and they usually came all the way to Lagos to shoot with her.

She said, “This was my first time of working with JP. He and his wife are my friends. I talked to the wife sometime, and that was when she said, ‘Why aren’t you giving my husband work’? JP also said, ‘Ada, you are my friend, why don’t you call me for jobs’?

“I told JP he mainly acts action films, and I hardly produce that. He then said he also acts in love films too.”

Luke added that she was traumatised that the accident happened on the journey from her set.

“I have been so traumatised. I have been so cold. This whole thing still feels like a dream to me. It is so sad that this happened on my set. I blame myself; that I would have been in Lagos doing my thing. I blame myself for coming down to Asaba.

“I still can’t believe this. Those crew members were my family. They have been working with me. If I am working in Lagos, they would come from Asaba to join me.”

Meanwhile, the Anambra Police Command announced that they had arrested the two operators aboard the ill-fated boat.

The state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Saturday.

He stated that the boat operators were in police custody, adding that the producer of the movie, Adanma Luke, had voluntarily made herself available to the police.

He further revealed that other members of the cast and crew of the movie would be invited for questioning.

Ikenga said, “Yes, the boat operators have been arrested. Even the producer of the movie, Adanma Luke’s statement was taken and interrogation is ongoing.

“Other members of the cast and crew of the movie would be invited for questioning.”

He added that nothing would be swept under the carpet as regards the investigation of the accident.

Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom State,  has paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Nollywood makeup artist, Abigail Edith Frederick, in Ikot Udoma, Eket Local Government Area of the state.

According to a statement by Ekerete Udoh, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Eno, on arrival from an official engagement in Abuja, went straight to the deceased family’s compound to console them.

The statement noted that the governor thereafter gave automatic employment in the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service to the surviving elder sister of the deceased, and directed the SSA on Humanitarian Services, Umo Ekpo, to renovate the family house and bring it to modern standards.