Five Nigerians have been remanded in police custody by a circuit court in Bolgatanga for allegedly peddling counterfeit and unwholesome products to unsuspecting clients in Zebilla, Upper East Region.
On June 28, 2022, Anthony Okereke, 22, a salesman, Jeremiah Oti, 17, a salesman, Emmanuel Sunday Chinemerem, 23, an engineer, Eric Ogbonna, 21, a chemist apprentice, and Linus Ogbonna, 24, an unemployed man, will reappear in court. They face allegations of conspiracy to conduct a crime involving the sale of unwholesome products as well as the sale of unwholesome products. The prosecution is yet to provide the court with the results of a forensic laboratory test on the seized goods. Mr Alexander Graham presided over the court, and they were scheduled to appear in court again on June 28, this year.
On June 9, 2022, the Zebilla District Police Command, in collaboration with personnel from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), apprehended the accused, who lived in a single room in Saka, a suburb of Zebilla, according to the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Joseph Kunsung. A search of the room discovered vast volumes of varied liquid substance in containers labeled “LDC teeth solution,” “care anti-infection solution,” and “teeth problem solution,” all of which were thought to be unwholesome herbal products, according to the court. The original container of the LDC Concentrate was also recovered from the room, according to DSP Kunsung. The label revealed that the LDC product was a detergent for cleaning homes, kitchens, and workshops, with a clear warning that “contact with eye and foodstuff should be avoided.” During interrogation, the accused claimed to be workers of Neo Company, a multinational corporation with headquarters in the United States of America, he stated.
DSP Kunsung stated that the company had offices in Accra, Kumasi, and other parts of Ghana, where they acquired supplies of the products, adulterated them, and repackaged them in little containers for sale as teeth care, stomach ulcer treatment, and gonorrhea treatment. When the police called the LDC company’s Kumasi branch manager, he told them that “the LDC product is a detergent for cleaning houses and workshops and not meant for ingestion,” according to the court.
DSP Kunsong cautioned the public not to patronize the products because they may pose health risks to users who mistakenly believe the chemical is safe
