Baba Ijesha: Why Mr Latin and I are no longer on good terms

Olanrewaju Omiyinka, the Nigerian actor popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has spoken about where things stand between him and his colleague Bolaji ‘Mr Latin’ Amusan.

In an interview with Kasnaty TV, Baba Ijesha described Mr Latin as a brother but said he came to realize the TAMPAN president is someone who dreads trouble.

Baba Ijesha’s legal troubles began on June 24, 2021, when he was arraigned on six counts, including indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, and attempted sexual assault by penetration

On July 14, 2022, a Lagos high court sentenced him to 16 years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor.

However, the sentence was to run concurrently, meaning the actor spent about five years behind bars.

During the trial, Mr Latin, as head of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), publicly condemned the offence.

He also noted that Baba Ijesha was not a TAMPAN member at the time and therefore could not be suspended.

Baba Ijesha has now revealed that since leaving prison, he has reached out to Mr Latin repeatedly, only to be met with excuses each time.

The actor said he holds no grudge with his colleague. He said he chooses to remember the good times and the kindness Mr Latin showed him, including helping arrange his first trip to London.

“Mr Latin and I are like brothers. We are from the same Oṣùn state. We are sending money to the same place. If I am friends with someone, I will always recollect the good they have done to me. I can remember that he facilitated my first trip to London,” he said.

“We travelled to the world. My first trip overseas was not by the influence of any promoter. It was God’s time for me. I can not now say we are fighting.

“In this our profession, Mr Latin should calm down. He is an opportunitist. He only received opportunity.

“When I got back from ‘Jerusalem’, since they have asked me not to call it that name again, I called my brother more than 25 times. He would always tell me he is in a minute.

“I was supposed to go and sleep at his house when I returned. Mr Latin is a good human being, but he is fearful. He does not want any trouble. That was how he was created. All the time these things were happening, you were pitying me, not knowing what my colleagues were experiencing.

“I was not angry with what Mr Latin said. I was the same person who called him when I came back.

“Those people who did not talk were not because they did not want to; it just happened to them in a certain way.”