The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arraigned three suspects before the Federal High Court in Kano on Friday for producing fake drugs and possessing, distributing, and selling falsified medicines for children.
The suspects, Amao Gideon, Alumona Okwiludili, Hillary Onah Chigozie, and Giddyson Healthcare Limited, faced a five-count charge presented by prosecution counsel Oche Abutu, representing the Federal Government.
The suspects pleaded not guilty, and their lawyer requested bail. However, Justice Simon Amobeda denied the request after hearing from the prosecuting lawyer and the defence. The judge scheduled the bail application for June 14 and the hearing for June 20.
Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC’s Director General, represented by Kasim Ibrahim, the Kano State Coordinator, informed reporters about the syndicate’s activities.
They had been manufacturing and selling several fake drugs for children, including Asian Ampicillin 125mg + Cloxacillin 125mg/5ml powder, Erythromycin 125mg/5ml powder, and Artil-Go (Artemether 20mg + Lumefantrine 120mg/5ml) powder.
According to Adeyeye, these products contained no active ingredients. She clarified that testing from the NAFDAC Kaduna Laboratory confirmed that these powders had no medicinal properties, posing a severe risk of treatment failure and potential death.
She added that the products were not registered with NAFDAC, and their labels had fake registration numbers and addresses.
Adeyeye further disclosed that NAFDAC sealed the illegal factory in Tafa town, Niger State, after receiving information and conducting a discreet investigation that led to the arrests.
She called on Nigerians to support combating these fraudsters and assured that NAFDAC would continue to enforce strict measures against substandard and falsified medicines.
“We will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those who chose to profit off our lives as a people because, in reality, they pose an existential threat to us and our loved ones,” she stated.
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