The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced a statewide clearance of Sacra Herbs, a herbal mixture recently discovered to be harmful.

The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, announced the development at a news conference held at the NAFDAC Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Mrs. Adeyeye told journalists that NAFDAC had begun an investigation to guarantee that the herbal substance, whose registration number had expired more than three years ago, is removed from circulation.

She warned against the consumption of the deadly products while calling on Nigerians to be mindful of food, drugs and other regulated products they consume.

“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.

She said other substances such as 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, will be mopped up by the agency.

“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.

The agency called on Nigerians 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.”

The decision to go after makers of the deadly products came after an investigation by Premium Times newspaper and Dubawa.

The investigation revealed a herbs, known popularly as Baba Aisha herbal medicine, pose safety risk to consumers.

In response, NAFDAC sealed off the premises where the herbs are made and declared that investigations have commenced.