Funke Akindele Bello , a Nollywood film star popularly known as Jenifa and her husband, Abdul Rasheed Bello have pleaded guilty to the one count filed against them by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN).
The couple was arraigned at the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ogba by the Lagos State Government for alleged violation of the lockdown order to check the spread of coronavirus.
The actress, widely known as “Jenifa”, for her role is accused of hosting guests at the bash for her husband in their upscale residence in Lekki on Saturday. They are awaiting the verdict of the magistrate.
Daily Trust Newspaper reports that If convicted the couple faces one month in prison or a fine of 100,000 naira ($260 /240 euros) or both.
Akindele’s actions sparked angry reactions online from her fans after she had earlier appeared in adverts calling for Nigerians to observe social distancing measures. The actress tendered an apology on her Instagram page on Sunday.
“I am sorry if I have misled you. I appreciate your concerns and I promise to always practice what I preach,” she said.
“I promise to always support the government in creating more awareness to eradicate this pandemic.”
There have so far been 232 confirmed infections and five deaths from the novel coronavirus in Africa’s most populous nation. The authorities have introduced a raft of restrictions to curb the pandemic, including a two-week total lockdown in major cities Lagos and Abuja to tame the virus.
