The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised the alarm over the rapid emergence of a dangerous new psychoactive substance (NPS) known as Akuskura.
The drug is made of herbs laced with tobacco, cannabis and rapidly replacing controlled substances, dominantly in the Northem and South-West parts.
The effect includes sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body and contraction of muscles, according to Mahmud Isa Yola, NDLEA chairman’s special assistant.
Akuskura, also known as Kuskura or Kurkura, is derived from the Hausa word “Kuskura,” which can be used interchangeably to mean gargling and rinsing.
Yola explained that it is of different varieties, both liquid and powdered, and used by people who mostly seek to “get high.”
Akuskura is largely distributed under the guise of herbs and retailed by local herbalists and Islamic chemists.
With a bottle of codeine sold between N7,000 And N25,000 and beyond, it offers substance abusers an easy alternative with just N100 or even less.
Akuskura got the attention of the anti-narcotics agency after more than seven thousand bottles of the illicit substance were intercepted along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
They were slated for distribution in Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Gombe, and Nasarawa. Several arrests and other seizures have been made across the country.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently announced a ban on the drug; intelligence and enforcement actions are ongoing.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) describes NPS as substances of abuse that are not controlled by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 Convention on Psychoactive Substances but threatens public health.
Yola called for concerted efforts again the spread and consumption of Akuskura because the social harms of NPS are frequently largely unexplored, which makes prevention and counseling extremely difficult.
While some believe it gives them the energy to work efficiently without being subjected to physical fatigue, others insist it cures malaria, typhoid, pile headaches, and increases their performance in bed.
Yola quoted a wholesaler in Zaria city explaining that the substance is originally meant for treating headaches and catarrh but also serves as a poster remedy against jinns and evil spirits.
“He says kuskura is also used as a sex enhancer among men. However, there is no scientific explanation for whether the substances are safe or can cure any form of sickness.
“This therefore drives home the fact that the substance has no established medicinal value. Despite its unsafe nature, Akuskura is patronized by thousands of people in Nigeria”, Yola added.
