Lagos drags Tacha to court over alleged disorderly behaviour

The Lagos State Government has dragged Big Brother Naija reality star Tacha Akide to court over alleged disorderly behaviour, Premium Times reports.

Tacha is facing charges of disorderly behaviour and turning the Murtala Muhammed International Airport into a public nuisance.

The 28-year-old appeared before the trial court, a magistrate’s court in the Ogba area of Lagos, on Friday, in a trial that only came to the attention of the press on Friday after over two years of quiet criminal proceedings instituted against the reality star by the Lagos State Government.

The government accused her of creating chaos during her encounter with health officials and of leading other passengers to resist the officials at the airport in May 2021. She was also accused of violating the state’s public health and broader criminal laws.

Tacha was arraigned in August 2021 but she denied wrongdoing by pleading not guilty to the two counts filed against her.

After the prosecution closed its case, Tacha’s legal team filed a no-case submission urging the magistrate to dismiss the charges on the grounds of the alleged failure of the prosecution to present any credible evidence to support its case.

Her lawyers argued that it would be pointless for the court to direct her to enter defence when the prosecution had failed to establish any wrongdoing against her during the presentation of its case.

The defence filed the no-case submission which was opposed by the prosecution.

The magistrate, Folashade Hughes, in a subsequent ruling, dismissed the no-case submission and ordered the defendant to enter her defence.

She has since opened and closed her defence, and parties were subsequently directed by the court to file their final written addresses.

Friday was fixed for a hearing where parties were to adopt their written addresses and make their closing submissions in the case.

But at Friday’s proceeding, the prosecutor, Dare Dada, pleaded with the court to adjourn the hearing.

It is expected that the magistrate will, on 14 March, adjourn for judgment after parties’ adoption of their final written addresses.