Lawyers Brace for Action on Adulterated Flavoured Drinks Causing Deaths in Kano
The League of Lawyers for the Support and Sensitization of Consumers’ Rights in Nigeria (LELASSCORN) has pledged to take appropriate action in ensuring that victims of adulterated and expired flavoured drinks in Kano State get justice for the health challenges they suffered as a result of the consumption of the said drinks.
The organization said it has already written to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to seek for the certified true copy of the agency’s report that followed its investigation into the case of the fake and adulterated flavoured drinks.
A source at the Kano office of NAFDAC confirmed to Nigerian Sketch that the letter, dated April 13, 2021 was received by the agency on the same day.
Recall that Kano State was in March thrown into a state of confusion after some citizens came down with symptoms akin to that of food poisoning and kidney infection after they allegedly consumed some flavoured drinks they purchased in the markets. A few of those affected died.
LELASSCORN, in its letter to NAFDAC, said “three persons died in Kano and many others hospitalized”, adding that it received information that NAFDAC has arrested some of the suspected culprits and submitted its report of investigation to Kano State government.
The letter indicated that “At our own end, we maintained contact with some of the victims who are desirous of enforcing their rights. It is on this basis that we write through your good office and apply to be issued with certified true copy of the report”
LELASSCORN, according to its national president, Haruna Saleh Zakariyya, “is a registered non-governmental organization of lawyers in Nigeria whose main focus and interests, amongst others numerous issues, is identifying cases of consumers’ rights abuse and taking appropriate measures through seeking proper remedies.”