The House of Representatives has enjoined the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to immediately ban the sale of codeine and other ‘harmful’ drugs in the country. Adopting a motion sponsored by Abdulsamad Dasuki (APC Sokoto), the lawmakers directed NAFDAC to ensure that codeine was only dispensed through prescription and only sold in hospitals.
Dasuki, while leading debate on the motion particularly stressed the need to stop abuse by banning the sale of codeine and tramadol over the counter and the need to address their abuse in northern Nigeria. It is believed that about three million bottles of codeine are consumed in Kano and neighbouring Jigawa State.
He urged NAFDAC to introduce punitive measures against medical practitioners who sell opioid medications without a notarised prescription by a qualified medical doctor. Meanwhile, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, has blamed the destruction of farmlands on the invasion of herdsmen from neighboring states.
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He said the rising incidence of herdsmen invasion has become an ugly trend, which has become a source of concern to the state, saying the new set of herdsmen who arrived the state were ignorant of the agreement between the state government and the Fulani Community.
Lamenting the development, residents of Anaku Community in Ayamelum Local Council of the state had sent a save our souls (SOS) message to the state government over what they described as unrestricted destruction of their farmlands and intimidation by the herdsmen. The traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Peter Oforkansi, who briefed newsmen, said the ugly trend was already ravaging the community.
