The Kano State Consumer Protection Council has vowed to stop the circulation of fake juicy products in Kano.
DAILY NEWS 24 reports that the intake by residents of some expired powdered juices led to a death of 10 and more than 400 hospitalized during the 2021 Ramadan in the state.
Four suspects were arrested at Minjibir town as a result of their alleged complicity in the sales of 580 bags of expired mixed-fruit and citric acid powder drink.
Among those hospitalised are 50 patients undergoing kidney-related treatment, because of complications arising from consumption of the killer drinks.
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The Managing Director, Kano State Consumer Protection Council, Rtd. Gen. Idris Bello Dambazau in an exclusive interview with Daily News 24 shades light on the strategies adopted by the agency during the 2022 Ramadan to curtail the recurrence of the previous incident.
According to him, 2021 Ramadan incident occurred when some people brought in some juice powder called ‘Dan Tsami’ to the state because it tasted sour and people like sour taste to break their fasting, which particularly resulted in the loss of several lives by the poisonous juice powder.
We are taking strategies to avoid recurrence – MD, Dambazau
The Managing Director of Kano Consumer Protection Council hinted that the state government is taking strategies to avoid recurrence of the 2021 incident.
“This year in order to prevent a similar occurrence, we decided to take a number of measures, by engaging with stakeholders, the unions and dealers of powdered juice, we sat and discussed with them on cooperating with the agency to track fake products.
“We also engaged with the management of main markets in Kano, under the leadership of Alh. Uba Zubairu Yakasai and map out strategies which we are currently implementing.
“We are carrying out these strategies in order to avoid recurrence of bad incidents, the team is regularly inspecting various places, such as stores, ice block markers because any ice block that is made in an unhygienic environment is detrimental to the health of the populace” He said.
KSCPC intercepts 5000 carton of fake products
Rtd. Gen. Dambazau assured that this will be a continuous inspection so as to ensure the safety of Kano people from bad products consumption.
“Recently we were able to seize 5000 cartoons of Terra which are similar to the original orange juice powder that caused the death troll last year.
We fine or charge defaulters to Court – MD, KSCPC
Rtd. Gen. Idris Dambazau who assumed office August 2021 marked that, Kano State Consumer Protection Council has successfully arrested more than 100 defaulters from 2021 August to date.
He said, “According to the Law of Kano Consumer, a tariff is placed on minor cases committed by a defaulter, for instance bad storage of goods and lack of symbols.
“While a crime of items with no NAFDAC and expired items, we fine and charge defaulters to court and also seize the items, which we work with the Kano State Ministry of justice which handles the legal aspects”.
He called on consumers of powdered juice to check products before purchasing.
“People should ensure that whatever products they are buying they should ensure the product has NAFDAC number, manufacturing and expiring date, genuineness of the product and also cheaper products are not of the time good products.
