Pretoria - A Nigerian actress has been arrested after hosting a birthday party at her home for her husband and violating lockdown regulations implemented to minimise the spread of coronavirus, the BBC reported.
The broadcaster reported on its website, that Funke Akindele Bello and her spouse, Abdul Rasheed Bello, held the gathering despite the star fronting Nigeria's 'Stay Home' campaign to encourage people to respect the social distancing guidelines.
It is not clear how many people attended the event in Lagos, where all gatherings of more than 25 people have been banned.
Even if the limit was not breached, the video was widely condemned for setting the wrong example.
Akindele has appeared in a Nigeria centre for disease control video to raise awareness about coronavirus.
It was said she defended Saturday's party, saying that everyone who was there had been living in her house for several days.
"Nobody came from their house to party with us," she said in a video shared on social media.
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A post shared by Funke Akindele Bello 🔵(@funkeakindele__) on Apr 5, 2020 at 8:10am PDT
On the same video, she also apologised and promised to practice social distancing.
The BBC said both Akindele and Bello pleaded guilty, they were subsequently fined R4 800, and ordered to do 14 days of community service to educate the public on the dangers of not complying with the government guidelines.
Meanwhile in South Africa, a bride, her groom, their entourage and wedding guests were arrested for allegedly organising and taking part in a wedding despite government regulations banning large gatherings due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Police officers and SANDF members stopped the wedding and arrested 53 people in eNseleni, outside eMpangeni, at the weekend.
The arrests came after a whistle blower told the police a wedding was taking place in the area.
Sources said when the police arrived, the pastor was taking the couple through their marriage vows.
In a video, the bride is seen in her wedding dress being led to a police van, the groom is seen helping with her dress to ensure it is not damaged, before getting into the van himself.
The police van appeared to be from the eMpangeni police station.
In the same video wedding guests, who are being arrested, are loaded into other police vehicles to be taken to the police station.