Convicted Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has claimed that prayers offered by inmates in correctional facilities are responsible for many sudden deaths, insisting that prison is where prayers receive the most attention from God.
The actor, who was released after serving his sentence for sexual assault, also described his time behind bars as bitter, alleging that he was made a scapegoat to teach other celebrities a lesson.
Baba Ijesha made the revelations during an interview with Dele Adeyanju on Agabletu TV, in a video shared on the station’s YouTube channel on Sunday.
Reflecting on his experience, the actor warned young people to be careful about their actions, saying that conduct they consider harmless could eventually land them in prison.
Describing his prison experience in one word, he said it was “bitter”, adding that he believed he was used as an example because of his celebrity status.
He also dismissed the idea that being a celebrity offered any special treatment behind bars, claiming that some correctional officers were even more brutal than policemen.
According to him, some warders care little about the status of inmates and subject everyone to the same harsh treatment, regardless of their background or public profile.
The actor further expressed shock at the calibre of people he encountered in prison, claiming that wealthy and influential Nigerians, including people who had occupied powerful positions, were also being held in correctional facilities.
He urged the government, judges and lawyers to pay closer attention to the plight of inmates, alleging that many were being detained despite having committed no offence.
Baba Ijesha claimed that about 65 per cent of inmates were innocent, drawing attention to a prisoner allegedly nicknamed “No Case”, whose situation he said should attract the attention of the authorities.
He lamented that many inmates in Kirikiri Prison, the Maximum Security Custodial Centre and Ikoyi Correctional Centre were suffering without their cases receiving adequate attention.
But it was his claims about the spiritual consequences of imprisoning people that generated the most startling part of the interview.
The actor described prison as a place of intense prayers, alleging that some inmates go to extreme lengths while calling on God to intervene in their cases.
He claimed that some prisoners even use stones to inflict injuries on themselves, licking their blood while making solemn appeals to God to punish them if they were guilty of the offences for which they were imprisoned.
He warned political leaders and other powerful individuals against abusing their positions or using their influence to persecute others.
According to him, many unexplained sudden deaths are connected to the prayers of inmates rather than physical attacks involving weapons.
He cited the case of the prisoner he identified as “No Case”, claiming that the person responsible for putting the inmate behind bars eventually apologised before dying, while the prisoner remained incarcerated.
The latest comments come against the background of Baba Ijesha’s controversial conviction and subsequent release.
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 in connection with a 2021 incident.
The Court of Appeal later set aside some of the earlier convictions but upheld the sexual assault conviction.
The Lagos State Government subsequently clarified that the actor was not acquitted but had been released after completing his prison sentence. His name was also included in the state’s sex offenders’ register.
In another interview with Yinka Ayefele on Fresh FM on March 23, 2026, Baba Ijesha rejected being described as a paedophile or rapist.
He alleged that he was lured with food and money under the pretext of a movie production by Nollywood actress Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess.
He claimed he had expected to participate in a movie project involving pounded yam and egusi soup but was instead set up.
Maintaining his innocence, the actor said his own account of the controversy would be presented in an upcoming movie.
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