Nollywood actor Baba Ijesha is happily married to a woman named Lanre Omiyinka. Their marriage is yet to produce a child, and the actor does not have biological children.
Olarenwaju James Omiyinka, professionally known as Baba Ijesha, is a Nollywood actor who started acting in 2000 and is mostly famous for his roles in Yoruba movies. He is also a film producer, director, skit maker, and comedian popular for Afefe Ife and Ololo. In addition to his successful entertainment career, Baba Ijesha is a family man, and just like his career, he is also holding it down impressively on the home front.
What To Know About Baba Ijesha’s Family
The 80-year-old actor became a family man at the age of 40. On 6th July 2013, Baba Ijesha went down the aisle with his wife, Lanre Omiyinka, in a white wedding ceremony. But before the white wedding, the couple was joined in a traditional wedding ceremony in 2012 at Eko FM hall located within the premises of iLTV 8 in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The ceremony is said to be a lowkey event though a few of the Nollywood Yoruba stars graced it, such as Mr. Latin and others. There is no record showing where and how Baba Ijesha and Lanre met or when they started dating. However, the couple had since lived happily for the past nine years until life turned around for them just recently, in 2021, when the actor landed a 16-year jail term.
Baba Ijesha’s Wife is a Manager at Samsung
Baba Ijesha’s wife is one of the top managers at electronic Samsung Mobile in Lagos. By description, Baba Ijesha’s wife is a definition of a top-class lady. She’s got beauty with brains. She is said to have been with the multinational electronic company for over five years before the actor met and married her.
The young woman also reportedly has a few other businesses she runs by the side which are not public knowledge. Lanre seems to be a private person and does not have an active presence on social media, so nothing much is known about her personal or career life.
Their Union is Yet to Produce a Child
As much as it is known to the public, Baba Ijesha’s marriage with his wife Lanre Omiyinka has not produced any child yet. And from records, the actor does not have any biological children. Meanwhile, comedian Princess also gave credence to this information a week after the actor was detained for alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl kept in the former’s care.
According to Princess, Baba Ijesha does not have kids yet because if he had his own child, the victim would have been his grandchild. She went on to reveal with heavy emotion how the ugly incident took place right in her house.
Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Baba Ijesha
On Thursday, 14th July 2022, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja convicted and sentenced Baba Ijesha to 16 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a minor. The minor (name withheld), who is said to be a 14-year-old girl as of 2022, is a foster child of comedian Damilola Adekoya best known as Princess.
In her judgment that lasted about three hours, the judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, found the Nollywood actor guilty of counts 2, 3, 4, and 5 and then dismissed him of counts 1 and 6. The sentencing is as follows
- 5 years imprisonment on count 4 for indecent treatment of a child
- 3 years on count 3 for the defilement of a child
- 5 years on count 4 for attempted sexual assault of a child
- 3 years on count 5 for sexual assault by penetration
These charges have landed Baba Ijesha 16 years sentencing in prison, where he may serve 5 years despite the 16 years, given that it will run concurrently. The case got to public knowledge on 19th April 2021 after a video of Baba Ijesh and the child made rounds on the internet.
At the same time, the girl’s foster mother, Princess, reported the case to the police on that same day and claimed that the incident happened right in her home. Baba Ijesha was arrested three days after the report and was arraigned on 24th June 2021. He was granted bail, after which he returned to his acting career.
However, it was not long before a revelation was made that Baba Ijesha had abused the same girl sometime in 2013 when she was 7 years old. The girl only decided to keep the matter under wraps until Princess finally found out.
Although he denied the allegations, he was held responsible for previously confessing that he had committed the crime. In a bid to further defend himself, Baba Ijesha claimed that he was severely tortured into accepting the allegation, which was done in the absence of a lawyer.
Further Allegations
To further complicate him, during the court hearing, it was made known by a doctor witness that the girl in question had been penetrated though not recent. Consequently, a forensic test was conducted on her to know whether she had been coached or was lying about the whole incident.
Meanwhile, at the peak of the court case, where Baba Ijesha had 17 lawyers and two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) representing him, another lady came up with fresh allegations against the actor. According to the unidentified lady, Baba Ijesha had sexually molested her sometime in the past when she was 12 years old.
This was seen as a more shameful act on the side of the actor, considering not only the height he has attained in his career but also the kind of woman he married. Hence, several opinions have it that he could not have been in his right senses because his wife is measurable in all ways, and there is no need for him to be involved in such a demeaning act.
His wife never commented or reacted to the incident but has continued to stay entirely away from the media. To say the least, actor Olarenwaju James Omiyinka has been wrapped in coils of thorns of his alleged sexual molestation crimes, which has landed him in the jail sentence he is currently serving. Although he may be out in a question of 5 years, there is no guarantee that his entertainment career will see the light of the day again.