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17.01.2025 Featured 26 Years On, Kano Victims of Life-Altering Pfizer Drug Demand Justice

Published 17th Jan, 2025

By Sodeeq Atanda

Kano State residents who became victims of a life-altering Pfizer test drug continue to demand justice for irreparable damages to their health after 26 years.

On Thursday, several victims, including a man whose 30-year-old son is forced to use diapers, of the illegal and tragic drug trial carried out by Pfizer in Kano said they live in devastation almost 30 years after those injections.

In 1996, Kano was hit by a meningitis outbreak. In the face of this epidemic, Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company, offered to treat victims with Trovan, an antibiotic that was later discovered to be unapproved for use in the United States at the time.

As a result, some Nigerians who received that medication died. Survivors became blind, deaf or paralysed. The Nigerian authorities initiated criminal and civil actions against Pfizer but later resolved to settle out of court. The roundtable negotiation, brokered by former head of state Yakubu Gowon and other influential lobbyists hired by the company, assured victims of $175,000 in compensation each.

READ ALSO: FLASHBACK: How Jimmy Carter, Gowon Helped Pfizer Escape Paying $2bn for Killing Nigerian Children

Unfortunately, that monetary promise never materialised for some victims and some received very little amounts of money. To this day, they have not recovered from the effects which deprived them of the ability to live happily.

Rukaya Salisu (middle). Photo Credit: News Central.

On Thursday, News Central TV convened a town hall meeting where some of the survivors and parents of dead victims retold their stories and peculiar challenges. While some did not allow the problem to weigh them down, some were completely overwhelmed.

“IT PREVENTED ME FROM SCHOOLING”

Bilikisu Saidu Abass, one of the victims, became crippled during her teenage years because she took the drug. She was never compensated.

Now a businesswoman, Abass said she struggled badly to get a husband. Luck eventually smiled on her with a husband but that joy did not last as her husband divorced her. She did not disclose details of the divorce.

“What I was told was that I was taken to a hospital for drugs. Awwal Ali Abubakar, my mother, told me that I became deformed after receiving the medication. This happened in 1996,” Abass narrated.

“We later heard that some government agencies came into the matter and some victims were compensated. As for me, I did not get any money. I also understood that so many people became deformed in different ways. Some died, (went) blind, (got) deformed, (went) deaf and (became) crippled. I am one of them. I am crippled.”

Abass’ physical disability deprived her of formal education.

Affording a wheelchair seemed like a luxury to her poor family. She could not live like her peers.

“It affected my legs. One of those ways was that it stopped my schooling. I stopped attending school at junior secondary school 2 (JSS2) because I come from a very poor family. I turned 15 before my family was able to get me a wheelchair to aid my mobility,” Abass explained.

“Anytime it got faulty, I would not go to school. So it practically affected my schooling. I am someone who loves to look good and beautiful all the time. As a Fulani by tribe, girls usually get married on or before they turn 18 years of age. I watched all my younger ones get married and I could not get married. This left me devastated. I have lost so many suitors. The moment a suitor finds out that I am crippled, he gets discouraged. He will be afraid of how to cope with a crippled wife.

“Eventually, I got married in the course of doing my business. Shortly after, I got divorced. I saved money from my business and bought a car. Due to my disability, the throttle pedal and gears of the car were reconfigured to adapt to my condition. But the reconfiguration had an issue and I did not notice on time. One day, I had an accident and the car tumbled four times. These were all as a result of the problem Pfizer drug caused me.

“I spend a lot of my money paying people who assist me because there are so many things I cannot do myself. I was one of those who received the drug, but I was not aware when other victims were given compensation. My mother is standing behind me and my family members are here. We never got any compensation.”

“MY SON STILL USES DIAPERS AT 30”

Of all the stories narrated, Ismaila Danbuzu’s son’s case was especially moving.

Jamilu, Danbuzu’s son, is unable to walk, speak audibly and be responsible for himself. His dad does almost everything for him, up to the point of cleaning up after him.

If he wants to poop, he cannot express himself. Therefore, he could pee or poop on himself anytime.

“I am a parent of one of these victims. One thing that stands out for me when I walked into this place is that, with everybody who has one form of deformity or another, some of them walked in, some crawled in, but my own case is different,” Danbuzu told the audience.

“For my child, I have to carry him all the time; he does have hands and cannot walk. I have to do everything for him. Before leaving home for my business place, I have to check if he has messed himself up and clean him. This is all as a result of the Pfizer drug he took.”

Danbuzu only received N2 million, which was equivalent to $7,000, in compensation. Meanwhile, he and others were promised $175,000 each during negotiations with the company.

“His name is Jamilu and (he is) 30 years old. All his three younger ones are married. As he is seated right now, he is wearing a diaper. He got N2 million. We heard that some people got over N10 million but we do not know what happened to our own money. I am also aware that some people did not get any money. He cannot speak audibly,” Danbuzu added.

Jamilu’s dad carried him to the front when the organisers requested to see him.

“I GOT LESS THAN $7,000 AFTER MY DAUGHTER DIED”

Mallam Danbuzu, whose daughter died after receiving an injection from Pfizer, explained that he got $6,850 in compensation after years of grief.

His daughter was referred from one hospital to another between May and June 1996. At the Infectious Disease Hospital, Kano, Pfizer doctors walked in like messiahs and injected his daughter. She died a few days later.

“Around May or June 1996, my daughter fell sick. I took to the Murtala Muhammed General Hospital. On arrival at the hospital, a consultant doctor referred my case to the Infectious Disease Hospital, Kano, where she was hospitalised,” he said.

“Two days after, a team of medical doctors from Pfizer came to that hospital and gave her drugs. She died three days after they administered the drug on her. Many other people also died.

“We complained to the hospital and a team of Pfizer experts came from the US. They said they knew whom they gave their drugs. They said they had a list of the patients.

“They called parents of the patients. They did DNA for us. Later on, we filled out forms and they promised an individual compensation of $175,000. In the long run, they only gave us $7,000. Out of that $7,000, those who coordinated the payment collected $150.”

Some of the victims with their relatives. Photo Credit: News Central.

Other survivors, including Nafiu Ubah, now chairman of the Association of the Deaf in Kano State; Rukaya Salisu, Sani Abdullah and Mamah Abdullahi all narrated their day-to-day challenges since they became adults.

Ubah said he became deaf as a result of the medication.

“Due to my disability, I face a lot of discrimination in schools, hospitals, places of worship and trading. We are not enjoying our lives because of disabilities,” he said.

Speaking, Salisu said she was given an injection and became disabled afterwards. “After the injection was given to us, some of us lost lives, some became blind, some turned deaf and lost their walking ability

“Some people were later given compensation and some received no compensation. We have come here now so that we can be fully compensated and know what went wrong during the payment.”

Mamah Abdulahi, another affected Kano resident, called for full compensation for victims. He was disabled and lost out on many life opportunities. “I was told I would get $175,000, but I got N2,400,000 instead. In dollar terms, it was $7,000. I was not told why the rest of the money was not paid to me,” he said.

Even if the full compensation is paid, Abdulahi said, it would not compensate for all the permanent damage he had been enduring.

“My expectation now is that all bodies concerned, including the organisation that put this town hall meeting together, come to our aid to ensure we get our full compensation,” he said.

“Regardless, the full compensation cannot compensate for the damage the medicine had already caused to our lives. And if anybody argues against this, then they should reverse the situation for that person to get the medicine and compensation. I am hoping that people will come to our aid. We belong to an organisation where we are putting ideas together to see how we can get help.”

Life’s realities are different for each victim but their point of convergence is that they are living a life they never chose and want a justifiable compensation.

READ ALSO: REPORT: Most Nigerian Health Centres Lack Capacity to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines

Pfizer claims its intervention was done ethically. However, it remains unclear how much exactly the pharmaceutical company paid. The victims strongly suspect that those who handled the process diverted a large chunk of the funds.

Danbaito Farouk, a lawyer to some of the victims, explained that he filed a criminal petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and an investigation had been going on for over eight years. He said they suspected some people in the government had diverted the victims’ money.

FIJ recently published an archived story detailing how Gowon and former US president Jimmy Carter influenced the negotiation process on behalf of Pfizer. The story showed how Gowon said the life of a Kano child was worth less than that of an American child.

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Published 17th Jan, 2025

By Sodeeq Atanda

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