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Breaking News: FCT High Court Quashes Criminal Charges Against H-Medix Pharmacy, Affirms Area Councils’ Authority Over Sanitation and Health Matters
FCT Court Quashes Criminal Charges Against H-Medix Pharmacy, Says Area Councils Should Handle Sanitation, Health.
BREAKING NEWS
The Nigerian Record
6/3/20261 min read
une 3, 2026
In a significant ruling that offers relief to businesses operating in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT High Court has nullified criminal charges filed against H-Medix Pharmacy Ltd by the FCTA authorities and reaffirmed that Area Councils are the rightful bodies to handle sanitation and health inspection matters.
Presided over by Hon. Justice Y. Halilu, the court delivered the judgment on an ex-parte motion (No. M/7935/2026) filed by H-Medix Pharmacy Ltd on March 13, 2026.
The court granted orders of Certiorari and Prohibition, effectively quashing all criminal proceedings, charges, and enforcement actions initiated by the FCTA’s Health and Human Services Department against the pharmacy at various Magistrate Courts. It also barred any further action against the company based on the Public Health Service Act 1958, National Environmental Health Practice Regulations 2024, National Policy on Food Safety, and the National Guidelines for Food Handlers Medical Test 2024.
H-Medix Pharmacy Ltd had argued that the FCTA lacked the statutory power to enforce these laws, citing absence of jurisdictional facts, the non-enforceability of policies as laws, lack of approved fee schedules, and violation of constitutional principles.
The ruling is seen as a strong rebuke against overlapping regulatory functions and multiple taxation that many legitimate businesses in Abuja have faced. Companies have often been forced to pay sanitation and health levies to Area Councils (such as AMAC) only to face additional and higher demands from FCTA-linked consultants.
This judgment aligns with earlier concerns raised by the Global Integrity Crusade Network in April 2026, which highlighted the institutional conflict between the FCTA and Area Councils, leading to arbitrary prosecutions and regulatory harassment of businesses.
With this decision, the FCT High Court has reinforced the constitutional role of Area Councils in managing local environmental sanitation and health inspections as provided under Section 7 and the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
The pro-business ruling is expected to bring clarity and reduce duplication of functions between the FCTA and the six Area Councils in the FCT.