From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
A Federal High Court sitting in Kano, on Thursday, remanded one Mr. Taju Ayagi and a Kano-based businesswoman, Mrs. Stella Ogochukwu, till December 7, for an alleged sales and distribution of cloned cosmetic products belonging to a Lagos based company, Eva Complexion Care Soap Products.
The accused persons were arraigned by the National Agency for Drug Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for the illegal distribution of these unregistered products which were found in their shops on or about the 24th day of October and on the 2nd day of November, 2017 respectively.
The charges said the accused persons cloned and distributed Eva Soap products comprising of Gold, Ivory and Classic variants in a manner that is false, which constituted an offence against to various Sections of the Food ,Drugs and Related Products (Registration etc ) Acts.
The two accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the three count charges preferred against them.
Counsel to the National Agency for Drug Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Barrister Umar Shamagi in his submission prayed the court to fix a date for the trial while appealing to the court to subsequently remand the accused persons in prison custody till the date of the trial.
The Defence Counsel, Barrister Bashiru Mohammed while accepting the fixture of a date for the hearing of the case however objected to the remand of his clients in prison custody till the said date.
In his ruling however, the Presiding Judge, Justice Jude Kanyion Dagat ordered that the accused person be remanded in prison custody until the December 7th , 2017 for the hearing of the bail application.
While speaking to the media after the ruling , Barrister Umar Shamagi warned against the influx of fake and substandard cosmetic products in various markets in the country while urging the public to beware of all such cloned products.
He insisted that NAFDAC was totally committed to the fight against fake and sub-standard products in the country.