Flouting COVID-19 order: Nollywood actress, husband plead guilty, get N200,000 fine

Chief Magistrate Yewande Aji-Afunwa, sitting at an Ogba magistrate court, Lagos, yesterday ordered Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello, and her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello, also known as JJC Skillz, to pay N100,000 fine each after the couple pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal charge of violating the order restricting movement in Lagos State. The court also sentenced […]

Chief Magistrate Yewande Aji-Afunwa, sitting at an Ogba magistrate court, Lagos, yesterday ordered Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello, and her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello, also known as JJC Skillz, to pay N100,000 fine each after the couple pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal charge of violating the order restricting movement in Lagos State.

The court also sentenced the couple to 14 days of community service.

The actress had organised a birthday party for her husband, during which he took some photographs and videos and shared them online.

Mr and Mrs Akindele-Bello were charged yesterday with organising a party that had more than 20 persons in attendance, contrary to the social distancing order by the federal and Lagos State governments.

The duo arrived at the Ogba magistrate court on Monday, at about 11am following her arrest by the police for contravening the lockdown imposed on the state by President Muhammadu Buhari to flatten the curve of coronavirus in the country.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, stressed that the action of the couple was an abuse of the restriction order.

Elkana said, “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command was drawn to a viral video showing a large number of persons mainly in the entertainment industry in an Estate in the Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki axis, Lagos, celebrating a birthday party organised by Funke Akindele Bello and her husband. Police detectives from the State CID Yaba were promptly drafted to the location. Funke Akindele was arrested.”

The prosecuting team was led by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo.

According to the police, a musician, Azeez Fashola, alias Naira Marley, was already in police custody and would also be charged to court with violating the restriction order.

The Lagos State Police Command said it has launched a hunt for the remaining persons who attended the party.