Lagos Trader Pleads Guilty to Dealing in Expired Mosto Tinto Wine, Remanded Ahead of Sentencing

A Lagos-based trader, Ibeh Nkemakonam, 48, has pleaded guilty before the Federal High Court in Lagos to possessing, storing and selling expired Mosto Tinto wine, in breach of food safety laws.

Nkemakonam was arraigned before Justice Yelim Bogoro on a three-count charge brought by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The agency accused him of dealing in expired wine, together with one Okafor James Cyril, who is said to be at large, at the Balogun Business Association Trading Complex in Lagos on April 3, 2024.

He initially pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in 2024, and the judge granted him bail. At the resumed hearing, however, he indicated that he wanted to change his plea.

After the guilty plea, NAFDAC prosecutor Cynthia Igweiro asked the court to adjourn the case so the prosecution could review the facts ahead of sentencing. She also asked that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). The defence counsel did not oppose the application. Justice Bogoro adjourned the case to November 18, 2026 for review of the facts and sentencing, and ordered that Nkemakonam be remanded in NCoS custody.

The charges are as follows:

• Count one: possessing expired Mosto Tinto wine at the trading complex, an offence punishable under Section 3 of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap. C34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004.
• Count two: storing the wine, described as unfit for human consumption, contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Food and Drugs Act, Cap. F32, LFN 2004, and punishable under Section 17(1) of the same Act.
• Count three: storing adulterated food products in contravention of Section 1(2) of the Food and Drugs Act.