Man bags 2-year jail for making fake insecticides
A Federal High Court in Abuja has
sentenced a middle-aged man to two years’ imprisonment without an option
of fine for packaging fake insecticides.
The convict, Okwara Emmanuel, had pleaded guilty to the six-count criminal charge preferred against him by the federal government.
He pleaded with the trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu, through his counsel Ugochukwu Oparah to temper justice with mercy.
The convict was nabbed after a petition was written against him to the National Agency for Food, Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC), which raided his hideout on November 7, 2014 at Kuje, Abuja, and arrested him with a gas cylinder and empty cartons of insecticides.
In the charge filed by Umar Shamaki, counsel to the federal government in the matter, Okwara was accused of manufacturing unregistered Raid, Baygon, Mortein insecticides and Dettol antiseptic.
According to the charge, the offences were contrary to Section 1 of the Food, Drug and Related Products Act, Cap. F33, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 6(1) of the same act.
According to a witness in the case, Olaolu Shuaibu, a police officer attached to NAFDAC enforcement office, a director in charge of enforcement, received a petition against the accused.
He said after the petition was received, a directive came from the office of the director to storm Kuje, where Okwara was producing the unwholesome products.
He said the convict was arrested with a gas cylinder and empty containers of various types of insecticides.
One of the charges reads: “That you Okwara Emmanuel ‘M’ of Okanga Plaza, Guduaba, Kuje Area Council Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court on or about the 7th day of November 2014 at Kuje Area Council, Abuja sold fake drug product to wit, Baygon, Mortein, Raid insecticides and Dettol Antiseptic and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(b) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous provision) Act, Cap C.34, LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 2(1)(a) of the same Act.”
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