Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha has said actress Iyabo Ojo once entrusted him with the care of her children, Festus and Priscilla, as he expressed disappointment over their current relationship.
Recall that Iyabo Ojo was one of the influential voices that advocated for justice for the minor linked to Baba Ijesha’s rape scandal in 2021, as she backed comedian Damilola Adekoya also known as Princess during the controversy.
Speaking in a recent interview with actress Biola Adebayo on her podcast, the actor said he was hurt by Ojo’s stance against him, insisting that he never wished her harm despite their differences.
“When they told me about Iyabo Ojo, I told the person that she is my product. I cannot wish her bad. I do not want women to have problems. But what Iyabo turned into today, I do not understand,” he said.
He added that he would have preferred a confrontation if he had offended her.
“Even if I offended her, she should have called to confront me. What broke my heart the most was that she once left her children Festus and Priscilla in my custody during their childhood.”
Recounting the incident, Baba Ijesha said the actress had left her children with him at her shop in IluPeju, Lagos, while she stepped out briefly.
“That was at her shop at IluPeju. I came to that area to collect the CD we made for a Lagos State project, so I bumped into her. She embraced me and was receptive.
“So she left the children in my care and said she wanted to go and buy suya. I parked my car, so I told my apprentice to let me go and check on the woman (Iyabo Ojo) who had left her children with me. This was after about two hours. So I told my apprentice to watch over them while I checked their mum.
“When I got to the place, I met a crowd, so I knew it was not a place where you can just get what you want to buy and go home immediately. She knows already.”
The actor also addressed claims that Ojo took offence at a past skit in which he mentioned her name.
“Someone also told me that she said I claimed she did ritual, citing the funny content I uploaded on social media during my prime. The person told me she took it to heart. I mentioned in the skit that it is only three people who did the ritual in the industry: Bobrisky, Iyabo Ojo, and Lizzy Anjorin.
“Bobrisky, whom I met in prison, said he did not take it seriously because it was pure comedy. When I was in prison, it was Anjorin’s husband who brought lawyers to me.”
He further described his prison experience and dismissed claims that Bobrisky did not serve his sentence.
“Prison is another world. It is the place where they control a convicted minister. Someone was talking about Bobrisky; they said he did not serve his jail term. Bobrisky, who broke down in tears on the second day he was imprisoned, was rolling on the floor, saying his life is doomed.
“Will they put him outside the prison and put me inside? He forgot ‘risky’ and became tired of life immediately. Apart from the fact that he behaves like a doll (effeminate), he is reliable. Whenever we get served in the cell, he shares his food with fellow inmates, the same way I do.”
Baba Ijesha also noted that there is “a lot of unnecessary beefing in the industry,” while declining to directly link his comments to Ojo’s advocacy during his sexual assault case, which drew widespread reactions in 2021.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja convicted Baba Ijesha in July 2022 for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child.
The court sentenced him to five years and three years’ imprisonment respectively, to run concurrently, for offences related to the 2021 incident.
Following controversies surrounding his release from prison, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice clarified that the actor was not released because he was acquitted of the offences.
The Lawal Pedro, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, said reports claiming that the actor had been cleared by the Court of Appeal were false.
Speaking to journalists, Pedro explained that although the appellate court set aside some convictions relating to alleged offences between 2013 and 2014, it upheld the conviction and sentence related to the 2021 sexual assault case.
