Since the publication of PREMIUM TIMES' investigation, NAFDAC has been under the scrutiny of Nigerians who questioned its regulatory functions.
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Monday, said it has commenced a nationwide mop-up of Sacra Herbs, a herbal concoction recently found to be toxic.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, a professor of Pharmaceutics and Manufacturing, announced the development at a press conference held at the NAFDAC Headquarters, Abuja.
The announcement follows an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES and DUBAWA which found that the herbal product is a huge safety risk to consumers.
Mrs Adeyeye told journalists that NAFDAC had commenced an exercise to ensure the herbal product, whose registration number expired over three years ago, is off the market.
"We have commenced a nationwide mop-up of the Sacra Herbs in circulation. We have also intensified a crackdown on all illegal manufacturers and distributors of herbal preparation and other unregistered preparations, with a view to bringing perpetrators to book and minimise the usage of the substance," she said.
On Hajia Aisha Special Snuff AK 47
Meanwhile, the director general also spoke on the efforts of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of the agency, which she noted recently clamped down on distributors of illegally manufactured product called "Hajia Ayisha Special Snuff AK 47."
She said the agency's investigation revealed that the product, manufactured in Ghana and approved for use as an analgesic by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) of the neighbouring country, was packaged with different names in Nigeria.
"The snuff, popularly called "SHAKE" or "ANGORO" herbal powder, comes under different street names, such as: AK 47, Moringa, Black coffee (Dan Kano), Magic powder, Lufthansa, Desert Warrior, etc.," she said.
According to Mrs Adeyeye, other products the agency mopped up include: Hajia Ayisha Masanda original powerful powder, Hajia Ayisha snuff Nasrullah snuff No. 1, Hajia Salma Special snuff, Lufthansa Man power snuff, 99 Bullet more power snuff, AK 47 Power snuff, Hajia Salma VIP Moringa, Forever Journey, Dr Lambo Moringa snuff, Danmilla Kokoo herbal powder, The Desert Warrior, Hajia Salma sundu.
"The chemical substance in these deadly products of abuse is pyridine, which belongs to a class of toxic alkaloids found in some plants of the Nicotiana species, which include the tobacco plant. It can be highly addictive, and it is associated with a range of serious health consequences, including increased risk of cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc," NAFDAC noted.
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Raid on Baba Aisha's factory
Since the publication of PREMIUM TIMES' investigation, NAFDAC has been under the scrutiny of Nigerians who questioned its regulatory functions.
In response, the agency first said it had commenced an investigation into the findings of these newspapers and later sealed off the building where it is being produced.
During this exercise, two people were arrested, while the producer, Salisu Sani, was arrested during his visit to the agency's office.
Mrs Adeyeye listed the items seized at the building to include empty pet bottles (109bags x 400pcs x 120ml), empty pet bottles (87pcs), unlabelled brown liquid (4 bottles x 60ml), potash (3kg), and alum (1.5kg)
Others are weighing balance, kettles (4pcs), workmaster heat gun (2pcs), HD injection polyethene (2 x 25kg), HDPE polyethene (1x 25kg) and new labels of Sacra Herbs (sack x 2, 500 pcs).
The agency advised consumers to be "watchful of drug, food, and other regulated products they purchase and should not hesitate to report any suspicious activities within their environment to the nearest NAFDAC office."
