BABA IJESHA DESCRIBES PRISON AS PLACE OF INTENSE PRAYERS, CLAIMS 65% OF INMATES ARE INNOCENT
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Convicted Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has described prison as a place where prayers are answered most, claiming that some sudden deaths are linked to the prayers and curses of inmates in correctional facilities.
The actor made the remarks during an interview with Dele Adeyanju on Agabletu TV, in a video published on the station’s YouTube channel on Sunday.
Reflecting on his time behind bars months after his release, Baba Ijesha described the experience as bitter, alleging that he was made a scapegoat.
“Youth should be careful in their dealings. What you think may not lead to prison may land you in prison,” he said.
Asked to describe his experience in prison, the actor replied, “Bitter.”
“Bitter because I was a scapegoat. Do you know, many want people to learn a lesson from celebrities,” he said.
He added that his celebrity status did not earn him special treatment, saying he experienced the same conditions as other inmates.
Baba Ijesha also alleged that some correctional officers were harsher than police officers.
“Some warders are more wicked than police. Those in offices are different. There are some that deal with criminals. They don’t know who is celebrity. They don’t listen to the radio or pay attention to anything. You can see those kinds of people. If it is time to cry, you will cry, and if it is time to laugh, you will laugh,” he said.
The actor said he was surprised to see wealthy and influential individuals, including people he described as powerful, being treated like ordinary inmates.
“Do you know what I mean? Some people many think travel abroad are actually in prison.
“Let me shock you. There is someone I blocked after calling him many times, and he did not pick up. It was in my second month in prison; he told someone to call me. I was shocked,” he added.
He further claimed that a significant number of inmates were being held despite their innocence, estimating that about 65 per cent of those in correctional facilities had not committed the offences for which they were detained.
“There are about 65% there that are innocent. There is a guy there called No Case. Dear government, please. Some people are in Kirikiri Prison, some are in the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, and others are in Ikoyi. You need to hear their stories and see what they are going through.
“Some of you judges and lawyers. You need to listen to their stories and see what is happening,” he said.
He urged government officials, judges and lawyers to pay attention to the cases of inmates who, according to him, were being treated unjustly.
Baba Ijesha also described prison as a place of intense prayer, claiming that some inmates made desperate appeals to God over their circumstances.
“Do you know prison is where prayer answer most?” he asked.
He said some inmates prayed fervently, even resorting to self-inflicted injuries as part of their appeals to God, while calling on leaders to exercise caution and consideration in the exercise of authority.
“Many sudden deaths are from prison, and they don’t use knives. It is the power of prayer,” he claimed.
He also recounted the case of an inmate he identified as “No Case”, alleging that the person who put the inmate in prison later apologised before dying, while the inmate remained incarcerated.
The comments come after Baba Ijesha’s release following his conviction in a sexual assault case.
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja sentenced him in July 2022 to concurrent prison terms of five years and three years for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child over a 2021 incident.
The Lagos State Government later clarified that he was not acquitted but released after serving his sentence. The Court of Appeal had set aside some of his earlier convictions but upheld the sexual assault conviction, while his name was added to the state’s sex offenders’ register.
In a separate interview with Yinka Ayefele on Fresh FM on March 23, 2026, Baba Ijesha rejected descriptions of himself as a paedophile and rapist.
He claimed he was lured with food and money under the pretext of a movie role by Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess. He said he arrived expecting to participate in a film production involving pounded yam and egusi soup but was instead set up.
“I am not a paedophile, I am not a rapist. It was destiny that punished me,” he said, adding that he intended to present his account in an upcoming movie.
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