The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has arraigned four men at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly producing and selling adulterated engine oil.
Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo ordered that they be remanded in prison custody pending ruling on their bail application.
The accused are Uche Johnson, Olaide Shittu, Kingsley Meteke and Abdulquadri Olayinka.
They were alleged to have adulterated 128 drums and 9.45 litres of oil.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants and others at large on January 2, at 2, Esugbayi Street, NPA Quarters, Marine Bridge, Apapa, produced adulterated/substandard engine oil for public consumption.
They claimed that the products were genuine engine oil and sold them to unsuspecting motorists.
SON said the engine oil did not comply with mandatory industrial standards, an offence that violated Section 26 of the SON Act 2015.
The prosecution said the defendants, on the same day and place, “did indulge in dealing in and offering for sale adulterated/substandard engine oil.”
The defendants were accused of dealing in 128 drums and 9.45 litres of substandard engine oil, which they claimed to be of high quality and for optimum engine performance.
In count four, they were alleged to have “failed to comply with SON’s Conformity Assessment Programme” by dealing in adulterated engine oil that did not have the requisite certification.
They were charged with four counts of production, possession, dealing in and distribution of substandard engine oil.
The defendants pleaded not guilty.
After their arraignment, the prosecutor, Mr. J. A. Olofindare, from the Federal Ministry of Justice, urged the court for a trial date and for the prosecution to produce its witnesses to establish its case against the defendants.
Defence counsel Mr. S. U. Nweze informed the court of a bail application filed on behalf of the defendants.
Moving the application, he urged the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.
Justice Oguntoyinbo adjourned till March 19 for ruling on the bail application.
“They’re hereby remanded in prison pending determination of the bail application,” she ruled.
She fixed May 2, 7 and 9 for trial.
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