Nigerians are furious over the interview, which has since gone viral, accusing the actress of providing the actor with a platform to minimize his sentence for sexual offenses involving a minor.
Baba Ijesha insisted during the interview that he was misinterpreted and that the incident that resulted in his conviction was a “setup.” Additionally, he implied that some aspects of the incident were related to a “movie preparation,” an allegation that has received a lot of backlash on the internet.
The actor also talked about his connection with Iyabo Ojo, saying that when Festus and Priscilla were young, she trusted him to take care of them. Ojo has since refuted the assertion, cautioning him not to include her kids in his story and threatening to take legal action if he does.
Since then, the interview has sparked a flurry of responses on social media, especially on X, where a number of users have denounced the host and the actor.
A user, #tolu_fakoya, wrote, “There is nowhere in the world and no one in their right senses and mind should be granting a child rapist any interview. No one. Biola Adebayo is appalling.”
Another user, #Fortwin___, said, “They need to rearrest Baba Ijesha then Biola Adebayo. Because you must be mad to be caught on camera molesting a child, go to jail for it and come outside to say they lied on your head or it’s AI. They should throw him back to jail. People like this should not be given any platform at all.”
Similarly, #oluwatobinihami wrote, “If it was this year or last year they arrested that man, so many people would say the CCTV footage was generated by AI. That man is just too confident because people are still giving him a platform.”
Another user, #TheChibuogwu, criticised the development, saying, “Biola Adebayo really messed up. Ruining her goodwill for some clicks and views? She definitely thought this through and still decided to platform him.”
Also reacting, #thewriterchic said, “Biola Adebayo wants to rewrite history and whitewash a convicted child molester? People like this make us take one step forward, and three steps backward.”
On Facebook, reactions were similarly critical, with users raising concerns about the implications of giving such interviews.
In a widely shared post, Marufah Muhammed wrote, “There are some things you don’t defend. There are some acts you don’t explain away. And there are some lines you don’t cross as a human being. This is not about fame. This is about a child.”
She added, “You came out from a correctional centre and instead of choosing silence and reflection, you chose the spotlight again. Interviews, explanations, narratives. To say what exactly? To convince who? Because we saw what we saw.
