One of the three accused staff of Pfizer International Incorporated Nigeria, Segun Dogunro, appeared before a Kano High Court yesterday over a criminal case instituted by the Kano State government over an alleged illegal drug trial in 1996 by Pfizer, which killed many children. Dogunro was, however, granted bail to the tune of N5 million.
It would be recalled that presiding judge, Justice Shehu Atiku had issued a warrant of arrest on three officers of Pfizer for their failure to appear before it after receiving court summons on a criminal suit.
Counsel to Pfizer, Damian Dodo (SAN), filed a motion for an acceleration hearing of the case and also pleaded for adjournment of the sitting to the next day to enable one of the defendants arrested by the court appear before it.
The applicant, Barrister Aliyu Umar, who is also Kano State Attorney General, supported the motion, informing the court that he had been briefed by the police who said one of the bench warrant was successfully executed, adding that based on mutual understanding with his learned colleague, he supports the adjournment.
Justice Shehu, after interrogating both counsels, adjourned the sitting to the next day to enable the arrested defendant appear before the court. Speaking with THISDAY shortly after the court session, the applicant, Umar, explained that he succumbed to the motion filed by his colleague for the accelerated sitting based on mutual understanding.
, said after the accelerated hearing of this motion, it means the court will go substantive hearing of the case.
According to him, what the counsel to the defendant will present before the court tomorrow is an application because of the three people have been arrested..
Barrister Umar hinted that the defendant counsel will file an application for bail which we will not oppose because our trial in not to punish anybody before the courts decides he is guilty or not.
�They have assured us that the will bring the three accused persons before the court on 29 th and we agreed until then because what we want is for the accused person to appear before the court in the cause of the trials�.
want an assurance from us and have assured that they will on for filing the suit was not humiliate of get anybody imprisoned, adding that what Kano state government is trying to do it to prove to the world that some innocent children suffered damages and untold hardship.
Kano state government filed civil and criminal suits against Pfizer in May, claiming $2.75 billion in compensation and prosecution of nine Pfizer staff for allegedly testing a meningitis drug called Trovan on 200 children in April 1996 during a triple epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis in which over 12,000 people died.
Jan122008