Following the arrest of actress Funke Akindele-Bello by the Lagos state police command for violating the lockdown order, both the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and Dettol Nigeria have issued responses.
Funke and her husband, JJC Skillz, hosted a birthday party at their Amen estate home in Lagos state last night which was attended by a significant number of people, thereby disregarding the social distancing order of the Lagos state government. She was arrested by the Lagos state police command this evening, while her husband, singer Naira Marley, has been summoned for questioning.
It is worth noting that shortly after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Lagos, Funke participated in a video campaign sponsored by Dettol, emphasizing the importance of hygiene practices such as hand-washing and social distancing. Many Nigerians on Twitter criticized her this morning for not adhering to the social distancing measures she advocated for in her campaign ad for Dettol.
In response to her arrest, Dettol Nigeria stated on their Twitter page that as a responsible organization, they do not condone any violation of the Covid-19 guidelines and expressed concern about the situation. Meanwhile, NCDC clarified that it has not engaged brand ambassadors as part of its COVID-19 response.
Below is NCDC’s response:
