Codeine Drug Abuse: BBC’s Investigation Indicts Emzor Pharmaceuticals

A recent investigative report by the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, into the abuse of codeine syrup, has indicted Emzor Pharmaceuticals.

Codeine is an opiate used to treat pain, as a cough medicine, and for diarrhoea. It is typically used to treat mild to moderate degrees of pain.

The report revealed that in just two states, about three million bottles of codeine syrup are sold every day.

According to a sales representative of Emzor who spoke to BBC, he effortlessly sells one million cartons of the product in just a week.

He admitted selling the drug to addicts, stating that they would not mind trading even their cars to buy the product “just to satisfy the urge immediately.

The sales representative, who gave out information to BBC’s crew thinking they were drug dealers, is presently being investigated by Emzor Pharmaceuticals who claims they never approved large amount of syrup.

In Nigeria, thousands of young people are addicted to the syrup, a medicine that’s become a street drug.

Many have been kept at rehabilitation centres over excessive abuse of the drug which has now led to uncontrollable addiction.

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Meanwhile, a report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting exposed northern women who are engaged in drug abuse.

“She takes up to four or five bottles of codeine mixture in a day, sometimes diluting poring a bottle or two inside a coke plastic bottle to deceive her parents,” the report said of one Hauwa Mohammed, 18, who only has a secondary school certificate.

Another source, Maimuna Sodangi, 20, according to the report, was introduced to codeine by friends.

“She went on a visit and her friend entertained her with a bottle of soft drink mixed with codeine syrup. ‘It was so sweet and I felt so good,’ she recounted.

She has been hooked to the drug for about three years, graduating from one bottle to six per day, the report had said.