Pastor flees as SON raids his 3 factories in Onitsha for faken

Evacuates 5 trailer loads of pirated products valued at over N200 millio

By Emeka Anthony

A self acclaimed pastor and business man in Onitsha , Benjamine Nwizu is now on the run following his complicity in pirating various brands of shaving sticks and selling them to unsuspecting members of the public.

Perhaps skin cancer patients may likely be on the increase in different parts of the country now since many have unknowingly bought his pirated brand of Dorko, Bic, and Gillette shaving sticks which were produced under unhygienic and below standard provisions. Many are already complaining of rashes, burns and irritation of the skin after using the fake brands not knowing that Mr. Nwizu is the cause of their problems.

The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), last Tuesday sealed off his two factories located at KM 15 Onitsha, Owerri Road, Obosi, another at Nsugbe 3-3 and a shop at R2/667, Main Market, Onitsha, Anambra state.

The SON team who were accompanied by policemen from the Lagos State Command also arrested 25 staff found working in the factory, 9 boys and 17 ladies, including two pregnant women who nearly fainted on sighting the police and SON officials.

Though as at the time of filing this report, the workers have been released, the Organization evacuated about five truckloads of the sub standard products from the factories including machines valued at N200 million.

The Anambra State Head of SON, Albert Wilberforce, told journalists at the factory site at Obosi that the factories belonging to one Benjamin Ugochukwu Nwizu, a self acclaimed pastor of a Pentecostal Church, who is now at large were producing fake Dorco Shaving sticks and other nine unbranded sub standard products including Dava Soap and Darren Soap.

The closure of the companies- Bendusco International Agency and D AND K, Golden City Investment Ltd. is coming few days after an Onitsha Magistrate court granted the prayers of the applicant, SON to search, inspect, take samples, seize, and seal and to compel the respondent to comply with standards of shaving stick and allied products.

Wilberforce further explained that this is the second time SON is sealing off the suspects factory, adding that in their first encounter with the suspect, over 200 trucks of BIC shaving stick including machines were evacuated.

According to him, the suspect is into faking of different famous products without Nigerian identification numbers. He explained that the original Dorco shaving stick comes from South Korea and that is the one authorized by SON.

The SON boss however advised Nigerians to insist on patronizing made in Nigeria products that can save their lives and not the one that will destroy it and declared that the factories will remain sealed and the suspect who is now at large will face the full weight of the law when apprehended.

Some of the staff recruited in the illegal business funny enough were bold to lament that SON officials should have waited till month end before striking for Mr. Nwizu to pay them 3 months' salary arrears owed them.

Information gathered by the reporter revealed that Mr. Nwizu has been neck-deep in pirating Dorko brand of shaving sticks. The original owner of the Dorko brand had earlier thought that Mr. Nwizu will repent from his wicked ways but things got out of hand when Nwizu not only continued in his illicit business but even had the audacity to write petition and arrested Mr. Dorko on trumped charges before SON and the police decided to embark on diligent investigation and finally took the bull by the horn by going for the kill.

Whether Nwizu will finally be apprehended and also whether he will repent from his illicit business is buried in the sands of time. The battle continues even as the SON Director General, Dr. Ike Odumodu has again warned the public against buying products without original SON certification because of its dangerous implications.




A POLICE OFFICER SUPERVISING THE EVACUATION OF THE FAKE PROUCTS


MACHINES PACKAGING FAKE BIC SHAVING STICKS IN THE FACTORY


SOME DISPLAYED FAMOUS BRANDS OF FAKE PRODUCTS EVACUATED BY SON IN ANAMBRA


SOME STAFF PACKAGING FAKE DORCO PRODUCTS AT OBOSI FACTORY