Seven traders were recently arrested at the Agege market in
Lagos, for allegedly selling fake Orange Drugs Products to
unsuspecting members of the public, using the company’s
seal.
Information made available to Crime Alert revealed that the
suspects were arrested following a petition to the Inspector
General of Police, Mohammed Abubabar that a group of
person were selling counterfeit products of the brand,
consequent upon which some of the products were traced
to Agege market.
However the suspects were reportedly released on bail, with
a promise to show up whenever they were needed, only for
them to allegedly jump bail.
Rather than turning a new leaf the suspects allegedly
continued in the illicit business. “The next thing was that the
company started receiving series of calls from some
unidentified persons; some claiming to be journalists, said
that the traders were just being victimized.
Some of them even claimed that the police asked these
traders to bring an undisclosed amount of money so that
the case could be scrapped. This went on until the case was
charged to court. That was why the police went after them
again a couple of days ago and was able to arrest the trio of
Sabinus Ikejube (48) Innocent Nwanedo (52)Mustapha
Badamosi (35) out of the seven that were initially arrested”, a
representative of the company told crime Alert at the Yaba
magistrate court last Thursday. However the traders told the court that some individuals
based in Germany and Cotonou in Benin Republic,
manufacture the products and import them into the country,
admitting that they only bought from them in whole sale
prices and sell to members of the public. They however
could not mention names of the purported manufacturers.
Legal counsel to Orange Drugs limited,Chinonso Akponu said
after a drastic drop in sales of the products was brought to
the notice of the company’s management, investigation
was carried out to ascertain its cause, during which it was
discovered that some products were being packaged with
the Orange Drugs seal and sold in the markets.
Some of the products included Delta soap, Tempovate
cream and Neutrotone. “Currently, it has not been made
known how these manufactures manage to smuggle the
Orange Drug products into the country. What we noticed is
that these products, are being packaged with the Orange
Drug seal but written on the pack that it is manufactured in
Germany.
Also some of our marketers have been helpful in supplying
us with these information, because they are on ground at the
market places. Aside this, we also have our task force
personnel who visit market places based on information, to
raid these traders. These task force personnel make sure
that arrested traders are handed over to the police for
prosecution at the end of the day”.
Harmful components used in manufacturing some of these
fake products:
Continuing, Akpoku decried the effect of the fake product on
unsuspecting users , stating for instance that fake
Tempovate products contain component believed to be
very harsh to the human skin.
Following this discovery, the company has embarked on
moves to inform the public about the existence of these fake
products through the use of bill board advertisements and
distributing fliers at rallies. We also educate them on the
dangers of using these counterfeit products.
“The company has been given the sole right to the ‘Orange
Drugs seal’ in Africa, this registration was recently concluded.
With this move, we will be able to monitor these infiltration,
not just here in Nigeria but in other African countries. I
believe that in no time, with the help of the police and full
corporation from our loyal marketers, this challenge will be
curtailed”, Chinonso stated.
Inspite of these moves, Crime Alert findings show that
some of these counterfeit products are still being sold in the
markets.
Said a director in the company, Dr. Ugochukwu Ezenna: “For
a product to be faked, it simply means that product is doing
well in the market. Otherwise those who engage in
counterfeiting our brand will not be doing so in the first
place. Be it as it may, these activities is affecting our
reputation.
You cannot compare the substance used in manufacturing
these fake products to the quality we use in manufacturing
the genuine products. On the other hand, it is affecting sales,
because when the market is flooded with these fake
products, which also comes cheaper; some of the whole
sellers and retailers who are still oblivious of the activities of
these impostors, will naturally shift base, and start
patronising them simply because they want to make more
profit.