NAFDAC Shuts Down Abuja Shops Selling Unregistered Aphrodisiacs

On Wednesday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sealed two shops in Abuja for allegedly selling unapproved products to Nigerians. The shops were located in the Zuba Central motor park and Utako main market.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, some of the unregistered products being sold were aphrodisiacs such as “Hajiya Ayesha Snuff, AK47, Bulletproof, and Hajiya Aysha Maisanda”. These products were said to have been manufactured in Ghana and were meant to boost sexual performance.

Mr Tamanuwa Baba, Deputy Director of the investigation and Enforcement directorate at NAFDAC, stated that the operation was carried out following intelligence reports received about the shops. NAFDAC’s laboratory analysis indicated that the products contained a chemical substance called Pyridine which is potentially harmful to the human body.

“We found a lot of unregistered products in the two shops. We will begin immediate investigations,” Baba said. The agency has apprehended the sales representative in the Zuba shop pending when the owner of the shop will return from his journey.

“What the sellers are saying is that these products usually make them high and some said that the product is used as an aphrodisiac,” Baba added. “After the investigation, these products are going to be destroyed because they have not been registered by us.”

Baba also revealed that a similar set of products was discovered in a shop at Utako known as Kabo Investment Limited. He expressed concern that some of these products have flooded the Nigerian market and are fast spreading. NAFDAC conducted a similar operation in Sokoto, where some of the products were removed from a shop.

“I can tell you that Pyridine, which is the chemical that is contained in some of these products, can cause cancer, skin irritation and even lead to death,” Baba warned.

This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of NAFDAC’s role in protecting public health by ensuring that only safe and approved products are sold in the Nigerian market. Consumers are advised to be vigilant and report any suspected cases of unregistered products being sold to the agency.