By Ademuyiwa Balikis
Nollywood actor Yomi Fabiyi has reacted to the release of Baba Ijesha, saying the Appeal Court has cleared the actor of claims that he sexually abused a minor. Baba Ijesha regained his freedom after spending more than three years in prison.
Fabiyi, who has consistently supported him since the case began, said the new court decision proves that the earlier accusations were based on false claims and public sentiment. Announcing the release, he said Baba Ijesha is now free and out, and described the years long case as a charade.
In his statement, Fabiyi listed several issues he believes showed serious problems with the original case. He claimed that the people who set up the sting operation never proved the girl was 14 years old and accused them of manipulating her age to strengthen the allegations.
Fabiyi also questioned why Damola Adekola, a neighbour of comedian Princess, was released even though he was arrested alongside Baba Ijesha. According to Fabiyi, Adekola admitted to having a sexual relationship with the same girl but was still freed, which he said shows clear selective justice.
He went on to accuse comedian Princess, the girl’s guardian, of negligence. Fabiyi claimed the minor had been exposed to sexual activity under her watch and said that medical findings after Baba Ijesha’s arrest reportedly showed sperm that did not belong to him. He argued that this raised doubts about the case presented against the actor.
Fabiyi also alleged that Princess and her associates installed hidden cameras on the day they invited Baba Ijesha, which he described as an act of child exploitation and an attempt to create damaging evidence. He said the process put the girl through emotional stress and could have caused further trauma.
He stressed that his human rights organisation does not support sexual abuse in any form but is committed to challenging cases where people are wrongly accused or where investigations are mishandled. According to him, the Appeal Court’s decision corrected the mistakes made during the earlier trial.
