Baba Ijesha CCTV footage

Five years after hidden surveillance footage first shook Nollywood to its foundations, a longer version of that same recording has made its way back onto Nigerian timelines this time landing in the middle of a full blown media tour by the man at its centre.
Olanrewaju Omiyinka, the Yoruba film comedian better known as Baba Ijesha, had barely finished telling interviewers that he was framed before the clip appeared, and social media erupted all over again.

The re-emergence of the footage could not have been more poorly timed for the actor.
Just days earlier, he had sat down with Nollywood actress and podcaster Biola Adebayo on her platform Talk To B, publicly denying any wrongdoing for the first time since his release from Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in November 2025.
The episode, aired on March 22, 2026, quickly went viral though not for the reasons Baba Ijesha might have hoped.

The Footage and What It Shows

The original recording was captured by Princess whose full name is Damilola Adekoya after she grew suspicious of Baba Ijesha’s conduct during one of his visits to her home.
Having heard from her foster daughter that the actor had first molested the girl seven years prior, when the child was just seven years old, Princess contacted a CCTV installation company and set up a hidden camera before inviting him back.
She told him she was leaving the house, and within moments of her departure, the footage showed him checking every room before approaching the minor.

The clip that landed him in court showed what the Lagos High Court later described as indecent and assaultive conduct.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, who presided over the case, did not mince words in her ruling, remarking that the actor had taken his craft “too far” and abused a position of trust.
The longer version now circulating online reportedly shows additional segments of the same recording, and many who have watched it say it makes an already damning narrative even harder to dispute.

“The initial plan was to confront him directly, but we feared he could become violent. So I set up the camera instead.”

The Denial Tour  and Its Fallout

During his Talk To B appearance, Baba Ijesha insisted the entire episode was a setup engineered against him, and claimed that what appeared on the CCTV was connected to preparations for a film.
He also brought actress Iyabo Ojo into the narrative, alleging she once left her children in his care a claim Ojo swiftly and publicly rejected. She issued a firm warning for him to stop using her children as leverage, and threatened legal action if he persisted.
The actress subsequently unfollowed Biola Adebayo on social media, adding another subplot to an already crowded story.

A second interview, this time with musician and media personality Yinka Ayefele on March 23, only deepened the controversy.
In that conversation, Baba Ijesha said he had been lured with food and money and did not wish to disrespect a woman and so he “agreed to play the role.”
He refused to elaborate on the specifics, hinting that his full account would be presented through an upcoming film project.
The claim that a court admitted CCTV recording captured nothing more than an unrehearsed acting exercise was met with near universal derision.

“Gluttony is also part of it and the proposed money as well. I do not like to disrespect ladies, which is why I agreed to the role. That was how it happened, and God is my witness.”

A Nation and an Industry Divided

Reactions to both the resurfaced footage and the interviews have been intense and sharply split.
Critics argue that a convicted man with video evidence against him has no business seeking to rehabilitate his image through sympathetic media appearances.
Others, far fewer in number, contend that the justice system failed him or that the footage’s context was distorted.

Biola Adebayo, who has not issued a formal statement as of the time of writing, attracted particular criticism for providing the initial platform.
The consensus on X (formerly Twitter) and across Facebook was that whatever one believes about the underlying facts, a podcast host normalising a convicted child abuser’s narrative sets a troubling precedent.
@Fortwin___ · X (Twitter)

Others questioned whether the fact that the case is old enough to predate widespread AI deepfake tools was the only reason footage like this still holds weight in public discourse.

Princess Remains Unmoved

The comedienne at the centre of the original sting operation has not wavered in her position.
Shortly after his release in November 2025, Princess took to Instagram Live to urge the Lagos State Government and its Department of Justice to formally place Baba Ijesha’s name on a public sex offenders register.
She addressed those who believed he had been pardoned, clarifying that he had simply served out his court-mandated term.

Now, with the longer footage back in circulation and the public conversation re energised by his denial interviews, the battle for the public narrative appears far from over.
For advocates of child protection, each new media appearance by Baba Ijesha is not merely a PR misstep it is a reminder of the steep hill that survivors of abuse still face when seeking lasting accountability from institutions, industries, and audiences that can be seduced by familiar faces and compelling stories.

“No matter how much it hurt me, I have not hoarded any information. Baba Ijesha is now a convict… nobody freed him.”

Whether the resurfaced footage adds anything legally consequential remains to be seen.
What is clear is that for a significant portion of Nigerians watching, the court delivered its verdict in 2022 and no interview, however long or artfully framed, is likely to change their minds.