Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc, responsible for packaging Coca-Cola products in the country, has been dragged to court over allegation of sales of contaminated products across the country.
Listed as defendants in the suit are NBC, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and Nigeria Consumer Protection Council (NCPC).
In a suit first mentioned on Thursday, Oyelekan Akingbade, counsel to the plaintiff, Adewuyi Adewunmi, claimed that Adewunmi in March 2019 bought bottles of Sprite which, according to him, carried expiry dates of June 2019, and therefore considered unhealthy for consumption.
The plaintiff is asking the court to order the defendants to compensate him with the sum of N25 million.
The writ of summons read: “We are asking the Court to compel the 1st Defendant (NBC) to shut down production across the country pending recertification by the 2nd Defendant.
“We pray the Court to compel the 3rd Defendant (NCPC) to carry out an awareness of contaminated products produced by the 1st Defendant across the country; an immediate confiscation of all such products.
“We seek an order of the Court compelling the 1st Defendant to pay the sum of N20 million to the Plaintiff for psychological trauma and general charges and of course the sum of N5 million as cost of litigation against the 1st Defendant.”
However, counsel to NBC, Amuwa Olatunde, said: “We produce our bottles according to international standards. We will fight this case with all the legal arsenals.
“We are armed to the teeth; we won’t handle this case with levity because the corporate image of the NBC is at stake through damages.”
The judge fixed May 13 for further mentioning of the case.
