Yesterday, Justice Obiozor of a Federal High Court in Lagos,
sentenced Clara Onah, a graduate of Microbiology from the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, and a postgraduate student of Mass Communication, to 7
years imprisonment for manufacturing and selling a fake brand of 200 mg
of Amazon Amagyl Metronidazole tablets.
The prosecutor, Shamaki Umar, had told the court that Onah deceived
officials of NAFDAC by telling it that the fake drugs were manufactured
in Ogun State. She took the NAFDAC officials on a fruitless journey in
search of the alleged manufacturing company when in fact she was the
sole manufacturer.
When they eventually traced her residence at No 12, Mosalashi St.,
Alagbado Lagos, they discovered items she used in manufacturing the
drugs, such as weighing scales and labels. Laboratory analysis of the
confiscated drugs showed that they were fake and contained 20 rather
than 200mg of Metronidazole.
During allocutus (mercy plea), Onah shed tears and begged the court
to give her a second chance. She said she is a graduate of microbiology
who emerged with a second class upper division (2:1), adding that she
would never engage in such acts again if pardoned.
At the sight of her tears, the judge ordered her to “stop those
crocodile tears,” for she was very much aware of her act. In his
judgment, Justice (Prof.) Chuka Obiozor said: “I would have given you a
second chance as a first offender, but those who took your drugs and
died had no second chance.”
He said she should have stayed in the village to find something
worthy to do, if she could not get a decent job in Lagos. He then
sentenced her to 7 years jail at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, starting
from January 26, 2016, when she was arrested and detained. And also
fined N50,000 on count five
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