The COVID-19 conviction of Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, her husband JJC Skillz, and others has been thrown out by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
On April 6, 2020, the celebrity couple was charged with violating a Lagos lockdown and social distance order after having a crowded house party at their Lagos residence.
In response, a Lagos-based lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020, which Funke Akindele and her husband were charged under.
The complaint, he claims, is incompetent and lacks a viable cause of action. He also ordered the Lagos state administration to issue a public apology to every Nigerian detained and convicted under the statute in three widely circulated newspapers.
However, the case’s judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, argued that Section 8 of the Quarantine Act 2004 permits the Lagos state government to set restrictions without the agreement of the federal government.
They also stated that the regulation was created for the public’s safety, good, and protection, which is far larger and considerably more than the applicant’s.
The judge who handed down the decision, Justice Aluko, said,
“In total, I hold that this suit has disclosed no reasonable cause of action against the Respondents.
“The instant suit is incompetent and the court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate over same.
“Accordingly, this suit is hereby struck out for those reasons.”
