The Jigawa Consumers Protection Committee on Wednesday said it had confiscated 12 bags of adulterated hibiscus valued N48, 000 from a trader at the Maigatari market in Hadejia, Jigawa.
Alhaji Faruk Abdallah, the Committee’s Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia that the trader mixed seeds and sand with hibiscus in the bags to add to their weight.
He said the trader had been arraigned before a mobile court and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with an option of N50, 000 fine.
According to him, the court also ordered that the adulterated hibiscus be destroyed.
Abdallah said that another hibiscus seller was arraigned before the mobile court for tampering with a scale to short-change customers at Gumel Market.
“The trader was found guilty of dubiously over weighing hibiscus to make customers pay higher than the value of the commodity sold to them.
“He was also found guilty of overcharging customers at N140 per kilo of hibiscus instead of the approved N130 per kilo,” Abdallah said.
The chairman said the court also sentenced the trader to 12 months imprisonment with an option of N50, 000 fine.
“The magistrate warned the convict to desist from the act or risk being detained for three months before his case would be heard if he is arrested for similar offence in the future,” he said.(NAN)