…demands N25m compensation
By Ummi Ismaeel,
Minna
A Federal High Court sitting in Minna, the Niger State capital, has been asked to shutdown the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc over contamination of one of its brands widely consumed in Nigeria, Coca Cola.
The Counsel to the plantiff, Barrister Oyelekan Akingbade of Ultimate Chambers, made the appeal, while asking the Court to order the defendants to compensate the Plaintiff, Mr. Adewuyi Adewunmi, with the sum of N25 million to serve as deterrent to other erring companies who may wish to take Nigerian consumers for granted.
In the case, FHC/MN/CS/15/19, which was first mentioned on Thursday, Adewuyi Adewunmi vs Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) as 1st Defendant, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as 2nd Defendant and the Nigeria Consumer Protection Council (NCPC) as 3rd Defendant, the plantiff claimed the bottles of Sprite he bought in March 2019 were not healthy for Nigerian consumers.
According to the Writ of Summons, Akingbade said, “We are asking the Court to compel the 1st Defendant (NBC) to stop production and seal up all Coca Cola brands across Nigeria pending re-certification by the 2nd Defendant.
“We are praying the Court to compel the 3rd Defendant (NCPC) to also carry out an awareness of contaminated products produced by the 1st Defendant in Nigeria and an immediate confiscation of all such products.
“We seek an order of the Court compelling the 1st Defendant to pay the sum of N20 million to the Plaintiff for psychological trauma and general charges and of course the sum of N5 million as cost of litigation against the 1st Defendant”.
While the expiration dates of the products in question are June 2019, Akingbade queried: “The 1st Defendant’s intention is to produce poisonous substance found to be very injurious to the health of Nigerians.
“This has caused several health problems to many Nigerians many of whom may have died ignorantly due to poisoning while many lucky ones may have ended up in various hospitals battling for survival”.
However, Counsel to the 1st Defendant (NBC), Barrister Amuwa Olatunde, tsaid, “We produce our bottles according to international standards. We will fight this case with all the legal arsenals at our disposals”.
“We are armed to the teeth. We won’t handle this case with levity because the corporate image of of the NBC is at stake through damages”.
The Court presided over by Justice Aliyu Aminu Aliyu fixed 13th of May, 2019 for further mentioning of the case.
