Apr 7th 2020,
9 tweets,
3 min read
Let's assume for a second that that @funkeakindele and her husband pleaded NOT GUILTY to the charge, I strongly believe that beyond the constitutional and jurisdictional defects that I articulated in my article, it would have been difficult for @followlasg to secure a conviction.
I've tried unsuccessfully to understand their offence.
No government in Nigeria can dictate what citizens should or should not do in the privacy of their homes. Section 37 of the Constitution guarantees the right to privacy at home. COVID-19 cannot take away this right.
No government in Nigeria can dictate what citizens should or should not do in the privacy of their homes. Section 37 of the Constitution guarantees the right to privacy at home. COVID-19 cannot take away this right.
Is the problem with her husband's birthday party or the fact that the husband posted the video of the party on social media? Was she convicted for inviting people to the party? We should stop this mob mentality. Are we saying that families cannot host parties in their homes?
That will be ridiculous. The purpose of social distancing is for people to stay at home. The social distancing does not stop families from mingling while at home except where a member of the family shows symptoms or had a travel history or came in contact with an infected person.
I believe there large families in Lagos and other States with more than twenty members that are presently living together. Are we saying that it is a crime for such households to hold family prayers, meetings or parties within the confines of their houses during this period?
It would have been a different thing if @funkeakindele and her husband hosted the birthday party in a public place. I agree that the guests who attended the party may have violated the social distancing directive (that does not automatically mean that they're guilty of a crime).
There's no evidence that the guests were dragged to the party. Funke and her husband were not charged for inviting people to the party. They were also not charged for posting the video of the party online. They were charged for gathering in their home which is very ridiculous.
Did the @followlasg expect Funke and her husband to gather in the bush? If it is a crime for couples to hold parties in their homes during this pandemic, then the government can as well arrest couples that sex during this pandemic. After all, COVID-19 is sexually transmitted.
Public figures are not above the law. But the law should also not be applied differently to them. I cannot in all honesty support the treated meted on Funke Akindele and her husband. In this same Lagos, movement though restricted, is still feasible. The government is not sincere.
