The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola has upheld the conviction of a member of the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicines Dealers (NAPPMED) for operating a medicine outlet without registration and licensing by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN).
The PCN Registrar, Pharm. Babashehu Ahmed, disclosed this in a statement made available to Pharmanewsonline, saying the appellant, John Japtu, was convicted by the Federal High Court, Yola, in Charge No. FHC/YL/94C/2017 for selling medicines and operating a medicine shop without registration and licensing by the PCN.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, Japtu appealed to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/YL/269/2025, seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence.
According to Ahmed, the appellant argued that he was engaged in a lawful trade and that the PCN acted beyond its powers by sealing his shop and causing his arrest.
However, delivering its judgment on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for lack of merit and upheld the conviction and sentence of the Federal High Court.
The PCN Registrar commended the judgment, saying it would further strengthen the Council’s efforts to curb illegal and unregulated operators of pharmaceutical outlets and promote a well-regulated pharmaceutical practice environment in line with global best practices.
Ahmed said the judgment was in the interest of public health, as it would help protect members of the public from the activities of unregulated medicine outlets.
He warned operators who flout the law that the PCN would continue to enforce the relevant regulations.
“The long arm of the law will catch up with those who put the health of the public in peril for financial gains,” he said.
