The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday banned hawking of drugs in Benue State.

The state coordinator of the agency, Mr Ibrahim Anikoh, disclosed this in Makurdi when he received members of the Benue state Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Anikoh also said that the agency had banned the sale of unregistered local gin (Ogogoro) as a preventive mechanism aimed at preventing the re-occurrence of the Rivers and Ondo states disaster in other states.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that about 50 persons died in Rivers and Ode-Irele in Ondo state, which was attributed to the consumption of the locally brewed gin.

NAN also reports that methanol concentration above 1500-2000mg/L after consumption can easily lead to death in untreated patients.

He regretted that a lot of illicit drugs were entering the country through the Nigerian/Cameroon border line.

The coordinator further disclosed that ladies were using some herbal drugs to commit adultery.

Earlier, in his address, the Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Mr Aloysius Umalo, pledged to support the agency in its effort to rid the country of fake drugs. (NAN)