Police Arrest Funke Akindele, Ask Naira Marley To Report Self Over Violations

The police have arrested Nollywood actress and producer, Funke Akindele, in Lagos State.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Bala Elkana, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday.

He explained that the actress was arrested for violating the restriction orders in the state as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The state government had restricted social gatherings in the state to not more than 20 people, as well as urged residents to maintain social distancing.

According to the government, the restriction order affects churches, mosques, weddings, and other forms of social function that can attract a large crowd of people.

In a bid to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari declared a lockdown in Lagos and Ogun States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

The President had, however, exempted persons on essential service from the lockdown which would last 14 days.

In the statement on Sunday, Elkana said the Lagos State Police Command noted a viral video showing a large number of persons mainly in the entertainment industry.

He stated that the crowd was celebrating a birthday party organised by Funke Akindele and her husband, Abdul Rasheed Bello – popularly known as JJC Skillz, in an estate along Ajah in the Ibeju-Lekki area of the state.

The command’s spokesman revealed that police detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Yaba were promptly drafted to the location where the actress was arrested.

He noted that the police had commenced investigation while making efforts to arrest other persons identified in the video.

According to Elkana, singer Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley and JJC Skillz were among those seen at the party.

He asked the duo to report at the State CID Yaba on Monday in their interest or risk being declared wanted.

Funke, who came under attack by some Twitter users for her action, has since tendered an apology in a video.

Despite the apology, the police confirmed her arrest hours after the state government revealed the details of the second person who died of coronavirus in the state.

The Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Professor Akin Abayomi, had disclosed in a tweet that the victim was a 36-year-old Nigerian male.

He said the man died in a private facility on Saturday, while six new cases of coronavirus were discovered recently, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Lagos to 115.