Convicted Nollywood actor Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has shared his experiences after serving a prison sentence, describing correctional facilities as places where prayers carry extraordinary power.
Speaking in an interview on Agabletu TV with Dele Adeyanju, Baba Ijesha said life behind bars was a bitter experience and claimed he was used as a scapegoat.
According to the actor, prison taught him important life lessons and should serve as a warning to young people to be careful about their actions and associations.
Reflecting on his time in custody, he alleged that some prison warders treat inmates more harshly than the police and said his celebrity status afforded him no special treatment. He noted that all inmates, regardless of background or social standing, face the same conditions.
Baba Ijesha also expressed surprise at meeting wealthy and influential individuals in prison, claiming that many people would be shocked to learn who is serving time in various correctional centres across the country.
The actor further alleged that a significant number of inmates are wrongfully detained, urging government authorities, judges, and lawyers to pay closer attention to the stories of people awaiting justice in Nigerian prisons.
A major focus of his remarks was the spiritual atmosphere in correctional facilities. He described prisons as places of intense prayer, saying many inmates seek divine intervention to prove their innocence or secure justice.
“Prison is where prayers are answered most,” he said, adding that some inmates pray fervently over their situations and believe their prayers have powerful consequences.
He suggested that many unexplained deaths could be linked to the prayers and emotional suffering of wrongly imprisoned individuals, while calling on leaders and people in authority to be more compassionate in exercising power.
Baba Ijesha’s comments come months after his release from prison. In July 2022, a Lagos State High Court sentenced him to prison terms for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child in connection with a 2021 case. Although some convictions were later set aside on appeal, the sexual assault conviction was upheld, and his name remains on the Lagos State sex offenders register.
The actor has consistently maintained his innocence, insisting that he was set up and rejecting descriptions of himself as a paedophile or rapist. He said he plans to tell his side of the story in a forthcoming movie.