A magistrate court sitting in Lagos state has denied Baba Ijesha, embattled Nigerian actor, bail in the ongoing trial over alleged sexual assault.
The movie star was arrested and detained by the state police after he was alleged to have sexually molested a minor at 7 and 14.
He was later granted bail on May 17 — after spending about 25 days in police detention — by magistrates in charge of prison decongestion. But he has remained in police custody despite the bail.
During his trial on Wednesday, Kayode Olabiran, counsel to Baba Ijesha, prayed the court to release his client, citing his deteriorating health.
He said the controversial nature of the case has made it difficult to secure his release despite his bail as intending sureties were scared of the likely consequences.
But in his ruling, P. E Nwaka, the judge, held that the court can not grant the actor bail because the matter is beyond its jurisdiction.
The judge also explained that the case has already been filed before the high court.
Also speaking, Yetunde Cardoso, the superintendent of police in charge of the case, said the matter is now beyond the police.
“Mr Olanrewaju was actually granted bail during the JUSUN strike and based on the conditions given, he couldn’t meet them and he was properly charged today (Wednesday),” she said.
“Just like the court stated, the case has already been filed before the high court and the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) of Lagos State Ministry of Justice has taken over the matter from the police.
“So presently, we have handed over to the DPP so the case is before them (DPP). It has nothing to do with the police anymore, it’s now left for the DPP to handle it.”
Amid his struggles, however, the 48-year-old has turned to motivational books to get solace.
During his trial at the magistrate court, the movie star was spotted with ‘How to Thrive in Perilous Times: Living Beyond the World System,’ a book by Happy Caldwell.
In several pictures from the court session, the actor was seen firmly holding the book as he sat on a concrete pavement within the facility wearing a dejected look.
With the trial now handed over to the high court, Baba Ijesha’s case may drag for more days or even weeks.
For now, though, he has resorted to motivational books to comfort himself and that could provide the therapuetic experience that he needs at these “perilous times”.
After all, tough times never last, tough people do.
