From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the rising intake of unregistered herbal aphrodisiac, bitters and other relevant products among Nigerians.
The agency said that a careful examination of the situation could confirm that stories of people dying in hotels and homes in the cause of sexual activities could be as a result of these products that are, most often, taken to drive sexual satisfaction.
The agency stressed that most of the unregistered herbal aphrodisiacs either contain ingredients/substances that are harmful to the body, or are misused by the manufacturers in terms of quantity and dosage.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, at a press conference in Abuja, on Friday, displayed some of the aphrodisiac products that were recently confiscated at various markets and other locations across the country, some of which, she said, could lead to death of the user in five minutes because of the ingredients used in preparing the product.
She said: “Recently, the agency received series of report on the use of herbal preparation popularly known as ‘Kurkura’ particularly in the South West and Northern axis of the country, and thereafter swung into action, carried out intelligence and enforcement action.”
She explained that “Kurkura” is an illicit product illegally consumed for the sole aim of getting intoxicated, adding that the substance, when abused, could be harmful to body organs such as the brain, kidney and liver.
She added that the substance could also cause irrational thinking, altered state of mind, which if taken by a driver, could lead to road accident with the attendant fatality consequences, or could lead to criminal behaviours such as rape, kidnapping and murder.
She said agency officials have commenced a nationwide crackdown on all illegal manufacturers and distributors of these herbal preparations with a view to bringing perpetrators to book and minimize the usage of the substance.
She said: “Findings from various operations carried out revealed a dangerous trend in the use of such substances laced with high concentration of tobacco and sometimes cannabis by our populace, cutting across all genders and age groups particularly artisans, drivers, okada riders etc.