NAFDAC: Nigerian Court remands two Abuja distributors accused of selling unregistered Brika Soya beans,others
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The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded two former sales representatives at the Nigeria Correctional Centre pending the determination of their bail applications in a case involving the alleged sale of unregistered Brika Soya beans.
The case was filed against Nsor Nyami and Iranloye Olusegun by Ibrahim Mohammed, a prosecution counsel from the Nigeria Police Force.
They were arraigned before Justice Inyang Ekwo on Wednesday in suit no: FHC/CR/ABJ/321/2024.
Police Case
In the ten-count charge instituted against them, seen by Nairametrics, Nyami was accused of distributing a product called “Brika Soya beans mix” without registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
This action is alleged to contravene Section 1(1) of the Food Products Registration Regulations of the NAFDAC Act, which prohibits the sale of unapproved products.
Nyami and Olusegun, both former staff of the Peace Foundation, were also accused of distributing a product called Soya Plus to customers, while allegedly diverting over N8,120,940 of the sales for personal use.
What transpired in court
During Wednesday’s court session, the duo entered the dock to take their plea.
They pleaded not guilty to all charges read out by the court’s registrar, paving the way for trial.
The prosecution team requested the court to remand the defendants at the correctional centre pending trial.
However, the defendants’ legal team informed the court that the charges were served on their clients on Tuesday and argued that they were on administrative bail from the Nigeria Police Force.
The defense lawyers requested that their clients be allowed to continue on administrative bail to prepare for the case.
The judge declined the oral bail application, stating that it needed to be formally filed into the court’s records.
Consequently, he remanded the defendants at the Nigeria Correctional Service pending the determination of their bail applications.
The case has been adjourned to September 22-24 for trial.
What you should know
NAFDAC regulations stipulate that no person shall manufacture, import, export, advertise, sell, distribute, or use a food product in Nigeria unless it has been registered according to the relevant provisions of the nation’s regulations.
Disregard for this law can attract penalties to defaulters.
Three months ago, NAFDAC sealed several unregistered bakeries and water-packaging companies operating without approval in Plateau State, underscoring its commitment to public health through effective regulation.
It is important to note that the suspects are innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law.
