Baba Ijesha Defiled Minor Twice, Inserted Car Key In Private Part — Child Forensic Expert Tells Court

By Edna Wande Last updated Sep 28, 2021

A child forensic interview expert, Mrs Anike Ajayi-Kayode, has on Tuesday narrated before an Ikeja Special Offences Court how Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James (alias Baba Ijesha) allegedly groomed and defiled a minor (name withheld).

Ajayi-Kayode is the Executive Director of the Cece Yara Foundation, a non-governmental organisation founded to prevent child sexual abuse and provide emergency intervention for children, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Recall that the 48-year-old actor was arrested in April by Lagos State Police Command for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the care of comedian, Princess when she was 7 and recently at 14.

Testifying as the third prosecution witness, Ajayi-Kayode told the court that she was a certified child forensic interview specialist.

She said she had participated in over 25 child forensic interviews.

Led in evidence by Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ajayi-Kayode said that the alleged victim was relaxed, cooperative and could recall events when she was being interviewed.

She expressed;

The clinical presentation of child sexual abuse was quite evident. The perpetuator engaged the child in a sexual activity when she was seven years old, on two occasions.

On the 19th of April 2021, he sexually harassed her, touching her body. He told her: ‘I touched you some years back, you are so grown, so developed. Do you have a boyfriend? We have some unfinished business’. These are the clinical presentations of child sexual abuse.

She added;

These are the dynamics of child sexual abuse and the modus operandi of perpetrators – inculcation of secrecy, intimidation, threat or coercion.

The child forensic expert said clinical report on the minor showed Baba Ijesha allegedly engaged the child in sexual activities when she was 7 on two occasions, and on one occasion inserted his car key into her vagina.

Ajayi-Kayode added that a forensic interview she had with the victim showed engagement and suppression of the minor as Baba Ijesha had asked the minor not to inform anyone.

She said;

He asked the child if he should remove his penis and asked her to sit on his lap. He told her not to tell anybody. The perpetrator also inserted his car key into her vagina and asked her not to tell anyone.

As she disclosed that car key insertion occurred at a park where fruits are sold, Princess (foster mother of the victim) became very emotional and walked out of the court crying. She would later come back into the court.

The expert noted that child sexual abuse involved only the victim and the perpetrator, adding that because of his or her vulnerability, a child might not be able to comprehend the magnitude of the offence.

Ajayi-Kayode said that after the interview, she drafted a forensic interview report.

A copy of the report was presented to the court by prosecution as evidence and marked as Exhibit G.

The witness also said that the forensic interview was digitally recorded.

Flash drives containing the digital forensic interview of the minor was also tendered in evidence by prosecution and was marked Exhibits H and H1.

Ajayi-Kayode stated;

The conclusion is that she narrated the whole truth, she was tenacious, she was bold and relaxed.

Baba Ijesha who donned a blue face cap and black nose mask stood in the witness dock while the cross-examination lasted. He was not interrogated by the court because his counsel was absent.

At the start of proceedings, defence had sought an adjournment due to absence of Lead counsel Mr Babatunde Ogala (SAN) and Mr Dada Awosika (SAN).

A member of the defence team, Mr N.A. Adeyemi, said that Ogala, in a letter dated Sept. 27, had asked for an adjournment of proceedings because he would be unavoidably absent.

However, the DPP opposed the request for an adjournment.

Consequently, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo ordered that the trial should proceed with the third prosecution witness (Ajayi-Kayode) giving evidence.

The judge adjourned the case to Oct. 20 for cross-examination of the the witness.

Actress and comedienne Damilola Adekoya (alias Princess), the foster mother of the minor, and Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo were present in court during Tuesday’s proceedings.

NAN reports that the embattled actor faces a six-count charge bordering on indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by penetration.

The alleged offences contravene Sections 135, 259, 262, 263 and 262 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

CHILD DEFILEMENT Forensic expert