Nigeria Arraigns Counterfeit Drug Importer
A woman was recently arraigned on charges stemming from her attempt to import counterfeit drugs into Nigeria.
Margaret Ngozi Anyoaha was arraigned by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in front of the Fedral High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, according to NEXT.com. Specifically, Anyoaha was charged with trying to bring fake antibiotics into the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. She pleaded not guilty to the three charges she faced. The judge hearing the case, Adamu Bello, granted Anyoaha bail of $1 million Nigerian and adjourned the case until December 14. If convicted Anyoaha could be jailed for 15 years and fined $500,000 Nigerian. The news source reports that earlier this month, the Director-General of the NAFDAC, Paul Orhii, said that both the distributors and the makers of counterfeit drugs should face life in prison rather than the current, more lenient penalty. There have been a number of incidents regarding counterfeit drugs in Nigeria, one of which caused the death of 2,500 children who took a fake meningitis vaccine.