4 men docked for alleged adulteration of drug

Four men were on Wednesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate K. A. Yahya, of an Ilorin Chief Magistrate’s Court and charged with sales of an adulterated drug.

The quartet:  Akeem Alata, 41, Yusuf Rasheed, 40, Anifowoshe Saka, 35,
and Akintayo Taofeeq 19, and are facing charges of criminal conspiracy and adulteration of drug.

The prosecutor, Mr Bode Silas, told the court that an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Kwara Command, stumbled on a vendor hawking Neolife “ANTI INFECTION SOLUTION’’.

He said the officer stumbled on the product during surveillance on Aug. 2. Silas said that the product was discovered to be mixed with a substance from ‘CARE’ products, which function was for washing toilets, removal of stains in toilets and germs killer.

He said that immediately the NSCDC discovered this, its personnel launched an operation to arrest other members of the gang, who happened to be the producers of the product.

The prosecutor said that further investigations revealed that the
product was a mixture of insecticide and water.

Silas said that the product was packaged, labeled and sold out as an “ANTI-INFECTION SOLUTION” with no NAFDAC registration number for purchase.

He alleged that the drug could be ingested by unsuspecting members of the public.

He said that the case contravened Sections 96 and 188 of the Penal Code.

The prosecutor said that the office of the accused persons had been sealed, pending the determination of the case.

He said that three of the accused: Alata, Rasheed and Saka pleaded not guilty to the offence, while the fourth accused, Taofeeq, admitted to have sold the product.

The prosecutor said that the fourth accused said that he was ignorant that the drug was adulterated.

The chief magistrate, Mrs K. A. Yahya granted bail to all the accused persons in the sum of N500,000 each, with one surety each in like sum.

Yahya adjourned the case until Sept. 10, for hearing.