Justice Mark of a Federal High Court in Kano has sentenced a 41-year-old man, Innocent Oparah, to three years jail term for endangering the lives of innocent consumers through the circulation of counterfeit drugs.
Oparah was charged to court for labelling paracetamol as Quinine Sulphate & Nivaquine (Chloroquine) tablets at D222 Sabon Gari Market, Kano.
In a statement signed by the Resident Media Consultant of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, Sayo Akintola, on Sunday, Oparah was on Friday sentenced to three years with an option of an N200,000 fine.
Count one stated, “that you, Innocent Okparah on or about October 20, 2018, at the above address within the jurisdiction of this honourable court was found in possession of fake drugs, thereby, committed an offence contrary to section 1(a) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (miscellaneous provisions) Act, Cap C34, LEN 2004 and punishable under section 3 (1) (a) of the same Act.’’
“The convict was arrested on October 20, 2018, with some drug products and Paracetamol label that was changed to Quinine and Nivaquine.
“In collaboration with the members of National Association of Patent & Proprietary Medicine Dealers, officers of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control had, upon intelligence information, swooped on the Sabon Gari market in Kano where the convict was picked up.
“Four boys were met at his shop changing labels of paracetamol with that of quinine and the boys confessed that it was Innocent a.k.a. INNO that owned the products.
“The boys called Innocent Oparah on the phone, and he later came and met them at the shop where he accepted ownership of the products.
“The analyst found the two drugs unsatisfactory for human use as the content of the Quinine Sulphate was lower than expected and the manufacturer’s address was not indicated on the product label.
The analysis report of Nivaquine Chloroquine 100Mmg tablet was not satisfactory as the friability test was out of specification and tablet breaking, also percentage content of chloroquine was lower than expected and the manufacturer’s address was incomplete. The Quinine and Nivaquine are not registered by NAFDAC.
The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Mark in his judgement noted that an innocent’s action was inimical to the general wellbeing of the people of Nigeria.
