National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has secured a three-year jail term against a falsified drugs merchant.
According to a statement on Sunday by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, a Federal High Court in Kano presided over by Justice Ibrahim Mark sentenced 41-year-old Innocent Oparah to three years imprisonment with an option of N200,000 fine for endangering lives of innocent consumers through the circulation of fake drugs.
The convict was charged to court for labelling paracetamol as quinine sulphate and nivaquine (chloroquine) tablets at D222 Sabon Gari Market, Kano.
Oparah was also prosecuted for illegally labelling quinine sulphate and nivaquine chloroquine 100mg in a manner that was false.
The convict was arrested on 20 October 2018 with some drug products, and paracetamol label that was changed to Quinine and Nivaquine.
Upon intelligence information and in collaboration with the members of National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), officers of NAFDAC 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 Oparah (better known as Inno) that owns the products. When they called Oparah on phone, he 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 the expected, and the manufacturers address was not indicated on the product label. The analyses report of nivaquine chloroquine 100mmg tablet was not satisfactory as the friability test was out of specification and tablet breaking. In addition, the percentage content of chloroquine was lower than expected and the manufacturers address incomplete. The quinine and nivaquine are not registered by NAFDAC.
