SON arraigns businessman for engine oil adulteration, logo forgery

Justice Maureen Onyetenu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has remanded in police custody a businessman, Chidi Nwanyanwu, charged with adulteration of engine oil and inscribing forged Standard Organisations of Nigeria (SON) logos on the products.

The judge made the order following Nwanyanwu’s arraignment alongside his two firms. The SON accused the defendants of dealing in adulterated engine oil, non-compliance with SON’s Conformity Assessment Programme and forging of SON’s logo, the mark of quality and certification number.

The SON’s counsel, Joseph Olofindare, said the defendants committed the offence on or about February 1, 2021, at the Trade Fair Administrative Block Complex, Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

The defendants pleaded not guilty. Their counsel, Uchenna Umoneke, informed the court that his client’s bail motion had been filed and served on the prosecution.

Olofindare did not oppose the application but alleged that Nwanyanwu had been evasive since 2016 and had dishonoured all SON’s invitations for a meeting on how to find a remedy for the problems created by his products.

Umoneke prayed for a short date to enable him to file a further and better affidavit for Nwanyanwu’s bail. Granting his prayer, Justice Onyetenu adjourned till March 10, 2021 for hearing of the defendant’s bail application and remanded Nwanyanwu at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID), Ikoyi, Lagos.