Producer of “My Pikin” killer tooting mixture re-arrested

By Innocent Anaba
The National Agency National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Friday, re-arrested Mr Kola Okunlola, the producer of alleged killer baby teething powder mixture, ‘My Pikin.’

It will be recalled that Okunola, Adeyemo Abiodun, Egbele Eromosele and his company, Barewa Pharmaceutical Limited  were in March 2009 charged to court on a six-count charge by the drug agency.

Okunlola, was arrested and taken away at the premises of the Federal High Court, Lagos, after the court adjourned to rule on the application by Okunlola and the other accused persons, challenging  the additional proof of evidence filed by NAFDAC in the charge against them.

Counsel to Okunlola, taken away on a pick-up van protested at the development.

It was learnt that Okunlola’s re-arrest may not be unconnected with plans to prefer stiffer fresh charge bordering on the alleged death of children, who used the teething mixture.

Mr Paul Orhii, NAFDAC’s Director-General, it was learnt had not hidden his intention to make the producers of the alleged killer teething mixture pay for the death of the children.

The trail judge in the matter, had earlier rejected an oral application by counsel to the accused persons to get the prosecution counsel commitment that his client will not be re-arrested on the same charge, when he got winds of the pending arrest.

Justice Okechukwu Okeke in rejecting the application said, he can not be making an order in anticipation because the issue was not in the charge before him.

It will be recalled that the manufacturers had last year urged the court to unseal their factory, which was closed by NAFDAC shortly after the alleged killer mixture was discovered, but same application was rejected by the court.

NAFDAC had charged the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Barewa Pharmaceuticals Limited, Okunola, to court for allegedly making “poisonous teething mixture”.