By The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians over the harmful content of an alcoholic drink called Japata Bitters.
In a statement on Friday, the NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed that the content of the said alcoholic drink sold to Nigerians is laced with marijuana or cannabis, compared to the registered product that had only ethanol.
“Through intelligence, NAFDAC was able to shut down the company. This product, when tested in the laboratory, caused the death of the mice within five minutes,” she said.
“The alcoholic content was doubled compared with the registered product. The retained samples, kept at the point of registration, did not cause any injury to the animals.
“The product laced with cannabis was said to cause altered state of mind and psychological problems to the user.”
Adeyeye noted that the owner of the company, Chigodson International Company Ltd. is currently on the run, adding that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had been alerted over the matter.
In a related development, the NAFDAC also declared five herbal mixtures — prepared with a harmful substance called ‘Kurkura’ — dangerous for human consumption. They include Five Minutes Power, Gamzaki Tradomedical, Barakallahu, Sabon Karfi and Haonu Laha.
