The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) on Wednesday arraigned two traders, Ike Afam and Onyechi Steve, before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly conspiring and counterfeiting X-pression hair attachments.
The two men were arraigned before Justice Friday Ogazi on allegations of repackaging, dealing and possession of the said counterfeit hair attachment.
The prosecutor, Yusuf Lawan, told the court that the defendants, who are traders at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, were arrested with the counterfeited ‘Rich Braid’, a brand of X-pression hair attachment, at the market on December 2, 2022.
Yusuf, an Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice, informed the court that the two businessmen imprinted a ‘false’ trademark to X-pression hair attachment (Rich Braid) to the counterfeited hair attachment.
He insisted that their action was calculated to deceive the buyers that the products were genuine X-pression hair attachments.
The prosecutor further claimed that the illegal acts of the defendants were misleading or likely to create a wrong impression as to the character and composition of the X-pression hair attachment.
The lawyer maintained that the offences are in contradiction to Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C39 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Sections 1(18)(a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
He also informed the court that the offences violated Sections 3(1)(b): 3(2) and 1(1)(a) of the Trade Malpractices (Miscellaneous Offences) Act, Cap T12 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1(1)(h) of the same law.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Based on their plea, Yusuf prayed the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand the defendants in the custody of the Ikoyi Custodial Center until the conclusion of the trial.
However, the defence lawyers, Friday Inoegbunan and Eze Okoli, informed the court that their clients were served with a copy of the charge sheet on Tuesday evening, hence, they could not file their bail applications.
They pleaded with the court for a short date to enable them to file the applications.
After listening to the lawyers, Justice Ogazi adjourned the matter till Thursday for a hearing of the defendant’s bail application; he also remanded them in prison.
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