A popular Lagos-based lawyer, Ope Banwo, has accused the magistrate and others present at the court while ace actress, Funke Akindele Bello and her husband were convicted, of committing the same offence like the celebrity couple.
The embattled actress had hosted over twenty persons including Naira Marley and the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party in 2019 Lagos gubernatorial election, Babatunde Gbadamosi to a house party at the couple’s Amen Estate residence along Lekki-Epe Expressway.
The event was in celebration of her spouse‘s birthday but it contravened the order of government on mass gathering, one of the raft of measures in the war against coronavirus.
The celebrity couple were arraigned before Mrs Aje Afunwa of Agege Magistrates court and sentenced to 14-day community service with a hundred thousand naira each fine.
During the ruling, hordes of people including prosecutors, court workers and journalists were at the scene mingling in violation of guideline on social distancing.
Banwo in a lengthy post on his Facebook account timeline pointed out the infraction alleging Mrs. Afunwa and others in court of the same offence the Bellos were convicted of.
The post read in part: “Yes, as you can see in the pictures and videos of the chaotic court scene, that NCDC agents, police and the courts themselves were GUILTY OF THE SAME OF OFFENCE of not observing social distance!
“Look at the video and pictures of that court hour. The officers claiming Funke violated social-distancing rules were themselves jostling into each other with no space. They crowded the doorway and crammed the court. They are packed like sardines in court and the photographers were basically spitting on each other in that court scene
“So who is going to arrest the Judge, the police officers, and the press for the same offense? SMH. It just shows we ALL need more education and sensitivity on this Corona thing.”
Watch the court video posted by one Abiola Samuel on Facebook:
