Contaminated beer: Customer demands N111m damages from Nigerian Breweries

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered Nigerian Breweries Plc. To, within 30 days, appear before it over an allegation of brewing a contaminated Heineken brand of beer.

The court, in a writ of summons with suit number Cv/2/14 dated 19th September 2014, filed by one Mr. Chinenye Gerald Onwuachu, is seeking an order of the court to declare that Nigerian Breweries Plc was negligent in the production of two bottles of contaminated Heineken beer.
Onwuachu claimed to have consumed  the product and consequently suffered intestinal damage and kidney dysfunction.

Counsel to Onwuachu, Daniel Ibegbu is praying the court to declare that the contaminated crocked Heineken beer contained some inedible and unwholesome brown particles which poisoned his client.

Onwuachu in the statement of claim averred that he was on June 12 rushed to the Maitama District hospital in Abuja, after drinking the said Heineken beer.

According to the court process, laboratory test diagnosed that the plaintiff suffered from Gastroenteritis, a condition wherein a person stools and vomits profusely as a result of infection of the intestine and stomach.

The process also claimed that Maitama District hospital  discovered irregularities in Onwuachu’s blood, showing malfunctioning of the Kidney.

He said Nigerian Breweries denied ever producing or distributing unwholesome Heineken beer in response to his letter of complaint.

“The plaintiff consequently wrote the Defendant venting his grievances wherein the Defendant replied the said letter, stating that they had forwarded the complaint to their insurers and denied ever producing or supplying unwholesome Heineken”, he claimed.

Ibegbu however prayed the court to direct Nigerian Breweries Plc. to tender a public apology to his client in three national dailies.

He is also seeking the sum of N10million as exemplary damage for the
negligence occasioned in the production of the beer. The sum of N100,000 000 as general damages for the pain, shock and psychological trauma suffered by his client, and N1 million as cost of litigation.