Former Lagos State governorship candidate, Babatunde Gbadamosi and his wife, Sade Gbadamosi; and singer Azeez Fasola aka Naira Marley, were charged before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ogba for attending a crowded birthday party in violation of the government’s social distancing directive to check the spread of coronavirus.
They were scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday, but the government, according to one of the defence counsel, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN, withdrew the four counts filed against the three defendants.
This is as defendants accepted to tender written apology to Lagos State Government, issue undertaking to comply with directive on lockdown and social distancing and stay in isolation for the next 14 days.
The state government then agreed to withdraw the charge against the three defendants based on their remorsefulness but consequent upon them fulfilling three conditions.
They were therefore not arraigned before the Magistrate Court sitting in Ogba on Wednesday, April 8.
The conditions are:
1) They have to write a formal apology to the Government of Lagos State which will solidify the remorsefulness shown by them.
(2) They have to give an undertaking in writing that they will continue to comply with the directives of Mr President and Mr Governor which is the subject matter of the case before the court.
(3) In view of the danger which the state believes they’ve put themselves by attending a gathering exceeding 20 persons, they must agree to go on 14 days isolation to protect other members of the public from any likely danger.
The defendants through their counsel all agreed to the conditions and the court has adjourned till tomorrow for the prosecutor to brief the court on whether all the conditions have been met failing which they will be arraigned.