Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development

As we step into the new year, the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development reaffirms its commitment to advancing justice, promoting equity, and driving sustainable development.

With collective resolve, we will continue to make meaningful progress toward building a more just and prosperous future for all.

FPIL&D Marks World Consumer Rights Day, Calls for Action Against Fake Products

The Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development (FPIL&D), a non-governmental organization committed to advocating for the rights of indigent citizens, proudly joins the global community in celebrating World Consumer Rights Day on March 15, 2025. This annual event serves as a crucial platform to educate consumers on their fundamental rights, which include:

The right to safety
The right to value for money
The right to seek redress
The right to product information
The right to a healthy life
The right to choose alternatives
The right to quality goods and services

This year’s observance is particularly significant for Nigeria, where the rising prevalence of counterfeit products poses a serious threat to public health and safety. Just weeks ago, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) seized and destroyed fake beverages and medications worth billions in Aba and Onitsha. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for consumers to be vigilant and report suspicious products to relevant authorities.

FPIL&D urges consumers to protect themselves by purchasing and consuming only certified goods approved by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC. Middlemen and retailers must also take responsibility by refusing to stock or sell substandard products, prioritizing public safety over profit. Countless lives are at risk due to the circulation of fake products, and decisive action is needed to stop this menace.

Furthermore, FPIL&D calls on government agencies responsible for regulating production, importation, and quality control to strictly enforce compliance with the law. Security agencies must also prosecute offenders to deter the continued distribution of counterfeit goods and set a precedent for accountability.

As we mark World Consumer Rights Day, FPIL&D reaffirms its commitment to consumer protection and urges all stakeholders consumers, businesses, and regulatory bodies to work together in ensuring a market free from dangerous and fraudulent products.

Together, we can build a safer, healthier society for all.

Last Thursday, the 30th of January, 2025, our team at the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development (The Pro Bono Centre) secured judgment in favour of our pro bono clients, Jimmy Badmus and Ifeanyi Nanim, before the High Court of Oyo State, sitting in Ibadan in Charge No.: I/146C/2021; between: The State V. Jimmy Badmus & Anor., before my Lord, Honourable Justice M. I. Sule

The Defendants were arrested in a raid by the disbanded Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSAR), Apata, Ibadan. They were arraigned by an amended charge dated 16th of November, 2023, on four (4) Counts of Conspiracy to commit armed and armed robbery contrary to Sections 6(b), 1(2)(a), and (b) of the Robbery and Fi****ms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, LFN, 2004.

After the prosecution’s case and careful analysis of strategy, our team led by Yusuf Temilola NURUDEEN rests the case of the Defendants on the case of the prosecution. In well-considered judgment, the Court held inter alia that the Defence has properly utilised the tool of cross-examination to terminate the prosecution’s case by weakening and damaging the case, casting a reasonable doubt on the case of the prosecution to show the Court that even if the offence was committed, it was not the Defendants that committed the offence.

If the Defendants were found guilty, they would have been convicted and sentenced to death by handing in compliance with Section (3) of the act, which provides thus; “(3) The sentence of death imposed under this section may be executed by hanging the offender by the neck till he be dead or by causing such offender to suffer death by firing squad as the Governor may direct”.

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