The embattled Yoruba comic actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka better known as Baba Ijesha, has undergone an emergency medical evaluation at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
His colleague and close friend, Yomi Fabiyi, made this public when he shared two short clips on Instagram on Sunday.
Mr Fabiyi captioned the video, “Everyone has a right to life” and prayed for the ” healing hand of God” on his colleague.
In the video, Baba Ijesha who was shirtless could be seen being examined by a man believed to be a doctor.
It isn’t clear if he has perfected his bail conditions as his lawyers and Fabiyi refused to share details when reporters contacted them on Sunday.
“He is going for some test and that will determine other things,” Fabiyi said
Ordeal
In the second video posted by Fabiyi, the comic actor could also be heard making some health complaints to a medical practitioner.
He complained of pains owing to alleged jungle justice meted out on him by Nigerian comedienne, Princess, after he was allegedly caught in the act.
The actor is being accused of a raping a minor (when she was 7-year-old) who was kept in her care.
He is under investigation by the Lagos State police command on allegations of rape and has been in police detention since April 22 for the alleged offence.
He said he stooled and coughed blood for five days while he was in detention.
“They used boot to hit me here (he pointed to his stomach area) then here particularly (pointed to his head) they hit me several times and it is always aching me like, I won’t be able to control myself, it will just come like a sharp pain, and draw my eyes,” he said.
“I feel weak everytime. Five days after I arrived the cell, I became very sick.I was rushed to a hospital,” he said.
Background
Back in May, Baba Ijesha’s ex-lawyer, Adesina Ogunlana, raised an alarm over his then client’s deteriorating health condition.
He said the actor was traumatised and walked with difficulties in police detention.
Mr Ogunlana, a former chair of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, said this in a letter addressed to the Lagos Commissioner of Police seeking Baba Ijesha’s bail on May 16.
His letter partly read, “As of today when I met with Omiyinka in the company of his thespian colleague and ready surety, Mr Yomi Fabiyi, he appeared traumatised, emaciated, and walked with a limp in his right leg. May I assure you, sir, that Mr Omiyinka is not a flight risk and he is prepared to face trial”.
In the letter, the lawyer lamented Baba Ijesha’s continuous detention at the SCID Panti Yaba facility for almost a month, saying ‘‘it is in gross breach of his fundamental human rights as cognisable under the 1999 constitution.
Allegations
Narrating how Baba Ijesha “was caught in the act”, Princess said she had a very cordial relationship with him and always came to his aid on several occasions.
He was also a regular visitor at her Lagos home. They also starred in some movie productions together.
She said it was during one of his visits that “he molested one of three girls living with her.”
After seven years, “the girl opened up to Princess and her friend.”
She said she wanted to catch him red-handed and had to call him for a meeting in her house where she set up a CCTV camera, “and he was captured trying to molest the girl again.”
Baba Ijesha said he was beaten after he was allegedly caught in the act. According to him, the beatings and ill treatment affected his health so much that he’s always in pain.
Baba Ijesha, who opted for a quiet wedding in 2012 , was arrested and detained on April 22 for alleged sexual assault.
The actor has since parted ways with his wife.
The actor was arraigned before the Special Offences Court in Lagos on charges of sexual assault, indecent treatment of a child, and sexual assault by penetration.
Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the judge, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N2 million.
She said granting him bail is to release him from the custody of the law and entrust him to appear for trial when required to.
He earned the moniker, Baba Ijesha, due to his ability to mimic in Ijesha dialect an old unintelligent man in movies.
He shot into limelight after starring in ‘Omo Orita’ which was written and produced by Saheed Balogun.
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