Police Arraigns Producer of Adulterated Alcoholic Beverages, Liquors

The Nigeria Police Force has arraigned a businessman, Samson Sunday Offia, before a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, for allegedly producing and distributing adulterated alcoholic beverages and liquors.

The Defendant, 43, who is a father of six children and a driver with Inner City Mission (ICM), a School owned by Christ Embassy Church, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adebayo Alebiosu.

The Police, in the Charge marked MSH/110c/2019, slammed Offia with a three-count charge of unlawful production of fake drinks, distribution and unlawful possession of the same product.

According to the Police, the Defendant was arrested on April 6, 2019 at about 4am, after a search was carried out on his residence at 2, Shomade Asese Bus Stop, Mowe Ogun State, and discovered a local factory where he was producing different brands of adulterated alcoholic beverages and liquors.

Some of the fake wines and gins retrieved from the Defendant’s residence were: products labels, drinks property of distillery companies, and other adulterated alcoholic beverages and liquors.

According to the Prosecutor, Sgt. Edeh Cletus, the offences committed by the Defendant, are contrary to Sections 516, 243(2) and 430 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria 2006.

The Defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and following his plea, Magistrate Alebiosu granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in the same sum.

According to the court, one of the sureties must be a property owner, and show evidence of occupying same.

The Defendant, who claimed to be a year-three National Diploma (ND 3) student of Food Technology at the Yaba College of Technology, after being arrested, had confessed to have committed the crime, but blamed his criminal act on economic hardship.

He also confessed that, he started the business not too long ago and pleaded for forgiveness.

He said, “there’s no point lying about this again, it is true I committed the offence”.

“And it is due to economic hardship. I am a father of six children, and a driver with Inner City Mission (ICM) School.

“I’m also a part time student of Food Tech at Yaba Tech. I’m in ND 3, I just wrote my final exams.

“I suddenly saw Policemen in my house with a Search Warrant, and after the search, they found all the equipment I was using to produce the drinks. The things found include various brands of hot drinks suspected to be adulterated, empty bottles and labeled bottle corks of different types of drinks.

“But it’s not that I specialise in it, I just do it once a while. I don’t have a standard factory or produce in large quantities. In fact, I only produce just six bottles anytime I decide to. And I sell to just one customer.

On how much he sells per bottle, Offia said sells a bottle of his adulterated gin, for N300.”

The suspect, however, said he was sorry for his action, adding that the economy pushed him to such crime.

He also appealed to the companies, whose products he was faking, to forgive him.

“I just plead with the companies, whose product I’ve been faking, to please forgive me. The economy is not encouraging at all; that’s why I had to do this. Just forgive me, and I promise I won’t do it again”, Offia pleaded.