…State demands from them, formal letter of apology
Lagos State Government on Wednesday said it has withdrawn the charges against a former governorship candidate Babatunde Gbadamosi and Azeez Fashola, a musician popularly known as Naira Marley.
Naira Marley and Gbadamosi were arraigned before a magistrate court, Ogba for flouting the State government’s stay-at-home directive to attend a birthday party organised by celebrity couple Funke Akindele and her husband, Abdul Rashed Bello
Lagos State Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN through the Director, Public Prosecution (DPP) Yhaqub Oshoala said the remorse shown by the defendants was considered in the withdrawal of the charges against them.
Oshoala said the defendants are however, required to fulfil three conditions, which include; writing a formal letter of apology to the state government, give an undertaken to comply with the State government’s directive to stay-at-home and they are to proceed on a 14-day isolation as a prevention against the spread of coronavirus.
He said that this is absolutely necessary “in view of the fact that some individuals who travelled from endangered countries were present at the party.”
“If they agree to these conditions, the 4 count charge will be withdrawn and that will be the end of the matter. We will keep it in abeyance,” Oshoala said.
Magistrate Yetunde Aje- Afunwa while agreeing to the request of government for the withdrawal of charges against the defendants noted that the state government’s conditions of withdrawal, must be accepted and complied with by the 3 defendants.
“I wish to state that the procedure for the withdrawal of a criminal charge is that before the charge is withrawn, the conditions must be met or be seen to be met” she said.
Magistrate Aje-Afunwa adjourned to 9th of April at 12 noon.
Currently, any gathering of more than 25 people in any form is contrary to the social distancing directives by the Lagos State Government. This directive in addition to the Stay- at – home order are parts of the preventive steps to curb the spread of coronavirus in Lagos State.
Few days ago, Funke Akindele and her husband were sentenced the to 14 days of community service by the Lagos State magistrate court in Ogba for hosting the birthday which had more than 20 people in attendance at their Lagos residence in Amen Estate, Ibeju-Lekki.