A Federal High Court in Kano State has sentenced a 41-year-old man, Innocent Oparah, to three years’ imprisonment for endangering the lives of consumers through the circulation of fake drugs.

Oparah was charged with labelling paracetamol as Quinine Sulphate & Nivaquine (Chloroquine) tablets at D222 Sabon Gari Market, Kano.

The court was presided over by Justice Ibrahim Mark.

In a press statement signed by the Resident Media Consultant of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, Sayo Akintola, on Sunday, Oparah was on Friday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with a fine option of N200,000.

The statement read in part, “The convict was arrested on October 20, 2018, with some drug products and paracetamol label that was changed to Quinine and Nivaquine.

“In collaboration with members of the National Association of Patent & Proprietary Medicine Dealers, officers of NAFDAC had upon intelligence information 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 Innocent, aka Inno that owned the products.

“The boys called Innocent Oparah on phone, and he later 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 expected and the manufacturer’s address was not indicated on the product label.

“The presiding judge noted that innocent’s action was inimical to the general wellbeing of the people of Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Dr Tanko Sununu, sponsored a bill at the National Assembly demanding more punitive punishments for those involved in illicit and falsified drugs.

Commending the judiciary for the judgement meant to serve as a deterrent to other fake drug peddlers, the Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reiterated her call for a review of the law to discourage Nigerians from going into the illicit business that was capable of compromising the health of the people.

She said, “Fake and illicit drugs kill people and the judgment the offenders usually get is insignificant when compared to the level of the offence committed. Getting judgment of months or two or three years’ imprisonment is not enough. We must do everything possible to get a law in place that will recommend a stiffer penalty for drug counterfeiters.”