Baba Ijesha: Princess Denies Setting Up Daughter For Molestation

By Nkasi Kolie

Comedienne, Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess, has told Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences, Ikeja during  cross-examination  that she did not set up her foster daughter to be defiled by her colleague and erstwhile friend, Baba Ijesha.

She said she baited him (Baba Ijesha) with a “script conference” with a plan to confront him.

During her testimony on Monday, she had told the court how Baba Ijesha allegedly defiled her foster child leading to her being distracted in her academic pursuit. She said she had to change the alleged survivor’s school more than three times because she (her foster daughter) was distracted and was not paying attention to her studies after the alleged rape incident.

While responding on if she sought professional help when she discovered that her child was not doing well in school, Princess said she sought spiritual help; adding that her daughter was again molested in her (Princess’s) house by a neighbour.

Giving evidence as the first prosecution witness on Monday, Princess told Justice Taiwo that the defendant had defiled her daughter seven years ago on the day she was watching cartoons in the living room during the defendant’s visit to her while she was ill and came to sympathise with her. She explained that she had left her apartment for approximately seven minutes to see off a visiting relative leaving him with the seven year old daughter who was watching cartoons.

“My daughter told me seven years later that on that day, when I saw my guest off, Baba Ijesha asked her if she was enjoying her cartoon and he now told her that she should come let him play with her. She said when she got to where he was sitting, he asked her to remove her pant and he removed his trousers. At that point I asked her which Baba Ijesha? She said it’s the same Baba Ijesha, Lanre Omiyinka James.

“She said he asked her to sit on him and start wriggling my waist. I continued until something like water splashed all over my body and he told me not to tell my mum that it is just like play, just like cartoon. She said when he heard the gate close he told her to stand up and go to the bathroom to clean herself and he then used his face towel to clean up himself,

The ‘mother’ narrated that he was caught in the act on video following the explanation of the minor who told her about what the defendant did to her upon seeing him with her in a movie they featured in.

She said that Baba Ijesha even begged her not to involve the Police and Press. The video evidence was played in a closed session after the press and public were ordered out.