The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ogogoro

  • Father, son jailed for sale of Ogogoro

    Justice O.A. Faji, of a Federal High Court in Asaba Judicial Division in Delta State, has sentenced a father and son to 14 and 10 years’ imprisonment for possession, production, sale and manufacture of a local gin, Ogogoro.

    They were also jailed for storing the drink in an unsanitary condition.

    The convicts were in 2015 arraigned on a five- count charge contrary to Section 1 of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Food (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. CAP C34 LFN 2004.

    Justice Faji sentenced Jonathan Uti, 58, to seven years’ imprisonment without an option of fine, on counts 1 and 2.

    Isaac Uti, 28, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on counts 1 and 2.

    The judge sentenced Jonathan to 18 months’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of N250, 000 on count 5, while Isaac was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment without an option of fine.

    The jail terms are to run concurrently.

    Justice Faji held that the offences constituted a serious health hazard, wondering how many innocent persons might have died due to the illicit trade.

    Counsel to the defendants Lordson Agbata urged the court to temper justice with mercy, as the defendants are first offenders and are remorseful.

    But lawyer to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Adumen Jombo Washington said the culprits should be punished to act as a deterrent to others.

     

     

     

     

  • Woman remanded over ogogoro

    Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday remanded in police custody a woman, Nkiru Kalu, who allegedly produced unwholesome ethanol gin also known as kaikai or ogogoro.

    Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo remanded her in the custody of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) at Alagbon, Lagos, pending determination of her bail application.

    The court rejected prosecuting counsel Shamaki Umar’s oral application that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Oguntoyinbo adjourned the hearing of the bail application till May 5, and June 29, for commencement of trial.

    Kalu, of Kilometre 16, Ojo, Badagry, Lagos, was arraigned by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) on a charge bordering on the production and selling of unregistered processed food.

    Prosecuting Counsel Shamaki Umar from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), said NAFDAC officials arrested the defendant in Badagry last February 23.

    He alleged that Kalu was found in possession of “unwholesome processed food to wit: Ethanol drink” contrary to and punishable under Section (1)(a) and 3(1)(a) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Cap 34 LFN 2004.

    The court also heard that Kalu obstructed officers of NAFDAC in the performance of their duties.

    One of the counts reads: “That you Nkiru Kalu on or about February 23, 2017 at Badagry, sold unregistered processed food to wit: Ethanol drink (ogogoro/kaikai) without registration and thereby committed an offence contrary to section(1)(I) of the Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration etc.) Act, Cap F33, LFN 2004 and punishable under sections 6 (a) of the same act. “

  • Four die in Ogun after drinking ogogoro

    Four die in Ogun after drinking ogogoro

    Four people have died in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, after drinking local liquor known as ogogoro ..

    Three of the victims died instantly while the other one died later.

    The vendor of the liquor which is suspected to bear high concentration of ethanol, Mr. Salako Taloju, has been arrested by the police.

    He is a gateman who operates a kiosk opposite the Ibara – Abeokuta home of a prominent Egba politician.

    The police simply gave the names of three of the deceased as Baba Imeko, Baba Onwenue and Easy.

    The trio, he added, were living in the neighbourhood.

    Taloju himself was heavily drunk when the police came for him yesterday. He attempted to resist arrest, pleading that he was innocent, but the Police ignored his plea and whisked him away in their vehicle.

    Taloju said: “we have been drinking together for a long time. I do not know why they have to accuse me now of killing them, I have even taken out of the liquor and nothing happened.”

    He noted that he could not report the incident to his boss,   fearing likely consequences for ignoring repeated warning to shun local liquor.

    “I don’t want my boss to get angry with me. He  had warned me on several occasions not to drink again but I refused.”

     

  • Fire outbreak kills Ogogoro seller, three children

    Four members of a family have been killed in a fire that gutted their home in the Isale Awori area of Atan in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    The incident happened on Monday April 25, 2016.

    The incident was allegedly caused by a local gin popularly called Ogogoro.

    The fire, which ravaged the family’s apartment left the woman, her two children and grandchild dead.

    It was learnt that the late woman was a local gin (Ogogoro) seller.

    The fire was said to have started around 8pm when the late woman was trying to brew the local gin when she ran out of stock.

    The identity of the woman and her children were not known at press time.

    A cross section of neighbours approached by our correspondent declined information about their identity.

    Sources, who spoke in confidence, said the woman’s son who tried to save his mother was also burnt to death.

    It was also gathered that a nursing daughter of the woman and her baby also died in the fire incident while she was trying to save her mother.

    A neighbour who asked not to be named said:”I don’t know the woman’s name but we all call her Iya Oloti because she sold a local gin called Ogogoro.

    “She was trying to brew the drink and got burnt while trying to light the matches. The fire outbreak also consumed their apartment; nothing was salvaged in the incident.”

    “The woman’s son, daughter and granddaughter were also burnt to death as neighbours fruitlessly tried to put out the fire.”

    A family who did not want her name in print said: “This a tragic incident and we would not have ordinarily spoken to the press about it. However, we felt that it is important for people to learn to take precautions to prevent fire outbreak, hence, we decided to talk about it in the media.”

  • Two die from alleged “Ogogoro” consumption

    Two persons have been killed at Ugieda, South Ibie in Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State after reportedly consuming locally brewed gin popularly known as “Ogogoro”.

    The Nation learnt that three others are still lying critically ill at a hospital.

    A resident in the area, Mr. Lukman Rilwan, said the five persons that drank the local gin complained of stomach ache.

    “After they have consumed the Ogogoro, they began complaining of stomach ache, unfortunately the two died while three are currently hospitalised at the hospital,” he said.

    Traditional ruler of the South Ibie, Alhaji Kelvin Danesi and the Chairman of Etsako West local government, Mr. Yesufu Busari, who comfirmed the incident said a ban would be place on the illicit gin.

    Alhaji Danesi said, “I got report that two people have died and three others are still critically ill at the hospital.

    “So we are doing everything to make sure that such things dont happen again, I have already summoned a meeting of all those that are into sales of alchohol and we are going to place a ban on illicit gin”.

    Busari said the council would liaise with the relevant stakeholders, especially dealers of the local gin, to educate and enlighten the people on current happenings.

    He appealed to people of the council to desist from consuming illicit gin.

  • Contaminated ogogoro: Rivers confirms 70 deaths

    The Rivers State Government said yesterday that 70 of the 80 persons who took the contaminated local gin, ogogoro, earlier this month, have died.

    The Director Public Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Nnanna Onyekwere, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that two of the survivors had visual impairment.

    He said the cases were reported in Woji and Gokana communities.

    Onyekwere said: “So far, in the past one week, we have not had any more deaths or new cases. The situation has been under control.

    “In the beginning, it started somewhere in Woji. By the time we had the last count, we had about 80 persons tracked down, who took the drink.

    “Of the 80 persons, 70 had died. The rest survived. But two have visual impairment as a result of the drink.”

    The director said the state government had liaised with relevant stakeholders, especially ogogoro dealers, to enlighten the residents.

    He said: “The state has done so much already. We started with public enlightenment with grassroots mobilisation in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and National Road Transport Workers (NRTW).

    “Luckily, with the Federal Government’s announcement banning the gin, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the police are working with us. We have achieved success in terms of control.”

    Onyekwere said the state government had done a line listing of those affected, getting their level of disability or those who lost somebody because the government wanted to assist them.

  • Man dies in ‘ogogoro’ drinking competition

    An “ogogoro” (local gin) drinking competition has ended in tragedy, with the death of a man, Yusuf Bachure, at Bachure, Jimeta, Adamawa State.

    Bachure is a suburb housing mostly retired military personnel.

    The area was thrown into mourning following Bachure’s death.

    He reportedly slumped and died during the drinking spree accompanying the Christmas celebrations.

    It was learnt that the deceased engaged his girlfriend in an alcohol drinking competition to celebrate Christmas.

    The competition took place at a local beer parlour.

    Bachure allegedly challenged the girl to compete with him in the consumption of a gallon of “ogogoro”.

    But halfway into the context, Bachure reportedly became unconscious and was complaining of pains in his stomach.

    When spectators noticed the scenario, they rushed him to a nearby hospital.

    But Bachure was said to have died on the way.

    His body was taken to his family’s compound at Bachure.

    Reporters saw neighbours in groups discussing the shocking incident, despite its “nuisance”, as some residents called it.