The Kano state government has sued Pfizer International Limited, its sister Nigerian subsidiary and seven others over alleged use of 200 children as "guinea pigs" in a drug trial in 1996 in Kano.

The government is demanding the payment of over 2.7bn dollars from the defendants whom it accused of causing the death of the children among others.

In April 1996, an epidemic broke out in Kano in which hundreds of children died of measles, meningitis, cholera and other infectious diseases while Pfizer then led a team of other international organi-zation to assist manage the crisis.

However, investigations followed after the chairman of the federal government team in Kano, Dr Idris Muhammad,asked the international organization to stop further activities until they provide permits from NAFDAC for the administration of the Trovan drug used to treat children during the epidemic. It was never used on human beings.

It was later found out that the Trovan pills was only used on pigs before the administration of the same on Nigerian children many of whom later died, while several others became deaf, blind, lost senses etc.

In a writ of summons entered by the former Attorney General of the State, Barrister Aliyu Umar, the state government asked the court to grant over 29 claims sought by the plaintiffs including; unethical conduct, misgivings, conspi-racy, concealment and death of innocent victims.

The state government accused Pfizer and eight others of devising a scheme under which it misrepre-sented, concealed and failed to disclose its primary motive when it sought to participate in giving care to the victims of the 1996 epidemic.

They also declared that the company came under the guise of humanitarian gesture to the victims and that they have engaged in highly secretive activities in which only defendants 1, 6 and 7 were allowed into where the children were kept in the infectious diseases hospital during the epidemic, among others.

The state government therefore asked the high Court to compel Pfizer and eight others to pay 25 million dollars which the state government said it expended in the treatment of about 200 children as well as compensa-tion and support to the victims of the Trovan test.

It also wants additional 350 million dollars as sum plaintiffs expended between 1996 and 2006 in providing support to the victims of the fatal test.

Additionally, it asked for the payment of 200 million dollars as expenses incurred in public enlightenment to erase societal misgivings and prejudices that arose from the Trovan test.

The court is equally asked to compel Pfizer to pay 500 million dollars as cost of failed health initiatives of plaintiffs which failure arose from societal misgivings.

The court is also asked to compel Pfizer to pay an additional one billion dollars as general damages to the victims.

The state government said that when the company led others to Kano in the guise of humanitarian activities, they picked 200 children and divided them into two groups.

One group made up of 99 children was administered high dosage of the Trovan drugs and restricted in a room where only their officials had access to.

The second group made up of 101 children was administered low dosage of the Ceftriaxone. This it said, caused the children several diseases and death.

The case is expected to begin on June 4, this year after all the defendants have been served with the writ of summons which is expected to be given to all the defendants in Nigeria and the United States of America.