Following an investigation conducted by BBC on the growing menace of drug abuse, specifically the use of cough syrup with codeine, The Federal Ministr
Following an investigation conducted by BBC on the growing menace of drug abuse, specifically the use of cough syrup with codeine, The Federal Ministry of Health has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban with immediate effect further issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations. The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole said this became necessary due to the gross abuse codeine usage has been subjected to in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria.
In its stead, the minister said codeine containing cough syrups should be replaced with dextromethorphan which is less addictive. He also directed the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, (PCN) and NAFDAC to supervise the recall for labelling and audit trailing of all codeine containing cough syrups in the country, while he has also banned sales of codeine containing cough syrup without prescription across the country.
Recently, the BBC had exposed a syndicate behind the wide circulation of codeine among young persons in the country. According to a recent report three million bottles of codeine are drunk every day in the north alone. An effective painkiller, codeine is also capable of giving a euphoric high if consumed in large quantities. It is highly addictive and, taken in excess, can have a devastating impact on the mind and body.
In an undercover investigation, Ruona Meyer, a BBC correspondent and Kayode Soyinka, editor of BBC Pidgin, went to Kwara, Kano and Lagos, interacting with the victims and those making profit out of their misfortune. The investigation revealed how some corrupt officials of big pharmaceutical companies have been conspiring with distributors who violate the standard procedure by making the cough syrup available in the open market, thereby giving the public uncontrolled access to it.
Soyinka spoke about his encounters on the field, describing the trend as worrisome.
“It’s shocking what we found and how much of an epidemic cough syrup abuse has become in Nigeria. Equally shocking is the sheer size of criminal network involved in the illicit trade,” he said.
The undercover team also worked with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during trips to some hot spots in Kano. The agency showed weapons criminal drug gangs use to protect their business, including knives, swords, and a chainsaw that was used to attack an NDLEA officer.
“We may not even arrest 10% [of cough syrup on the market]. It crosses all class, no matter the level – rich and poor, educated and illiterate, a beggar and a toddler,” Hamza Umar, commander of the NDLEA in Kano, told BBC.
In Kwara, the team secretly filmed one Baba Ibeji, an official of Bioraj Pharmaceuticals, a licensed medical producer which manufactures a codeine cough syrup called Biolin. Unknown to him that he was on camera, the man spoke about his illegal cough syrup deals: “Even if someone wants to buy 1,000 cartons, we won’t give them a receipt.”
After selling the products to the undercover reporters, he asked them to take off the label, explaining that, that was one of the ways through which he avoids detection from authorities.
At Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Chukwunonye Madubuike, a business development executive, was one of those caught in the act. He illegally sold 60 bottles of codeine syrup to the BBC team at a hotel in Isolo, Lagos.
“When somebody is addicted to something – you get me? – and he needs it, the price I don’t think is an issue on this. This is a product that I know that if I have one million cartons, I can sell it in a week,” he told the reporters.
Emzor Pharmaceuticals said it is now investigating Madubuike, adding he has access to a very limited amount of Emzolyn with codeine and could not sell large quantities illegally. The company added that as a “responsible and compliant business, we are reviewing its distribution policies, and treating our findings with the utmost seriousness”.
