Funke Akindele, husband get 14 days community service for breaking Lagos lockdown order

The pair of Funke Akindele and her husband, AbdulRasheed Bello popularly known as JJC Skillz, have both been sentenced to three weeks of community service by the Samuel Ilori Courthouse of the Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos for breaching the restriction order put in place by the state government to check the spread of COVID-19.

Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz, were both handed the sentence by the Attorney-General of Lagos, Moyo Onigbanjo SAN after they both pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of hosting a gathering of over 20 persons.

The couple pleaded guilty to breaching the Lagos infectious diseases regulation (2020), which prescribes N100,000 fine, or a month jail time for violators in the charge filed against them by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo.

The defence counsel, Mr Abayomi Alagbada in his allocutus pleaded for leniency on grounds that both Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz were first time offenders, adding that they are respectable members of society and have two young children.

READ ALSO: Will Dettol drop Funke Akindele as brand Ambassador for breaching COVID-19 guidelines?

Having been found guilty as charged, they were sentenced as follows: “The defendants are to pay a fine of 100,000 each, sentenced to 14 days community service, three hours per day, excluding Saturday and Sunday; each Defender shall visit 10 important public places within Lagos State to educate the public on the consequences of non-compliance with the restriction order; and they must submit the names and phone numbers of every person who attended the party.

“They shall be placed in isolation by the State Government to determine their COVID-19 status. Failure to abide by the above directives shall attract more severe punishments.”

The brief facts of the case as contained in the charge are: “On 04/04/2020, the two accused persons held a party at their residents with over twenty persons in attendance contrary to the social distancing directives made in pursuant to Regulation 8(1)(a) and (b) & 17(1)(i) of the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 and therefore committed an offence under Section 58 of the Public Health Law Cap P16 Vol. 9, Laws of Lagos State 2015.

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