“Our Rural Communities Must Not Become Mammalian Subjects for Uncontrolled Clinical Trials”
The Ondo State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) expresses profound sadness and grave concern over the reported deaths and hospitalisations associated with the consumption of suspected herbal preparations and locally produced alcoholic substances in communities within Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
While the exact number of fatalities and the precise cause of the deaths are still subject to official medical, toxicological and forensic investigations, the reported scale of the tragedy is deeply disturbing. We urge the relevant authorities to conclude the investigations expeditiously, establish the substances responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
The Odigbo incident must, however, be viewed beyond the immediate tragedy. It warns of a larger, rapidly expanding public-health threat: the proliferation of unregulated, unverified, and falsely promoted herbal products across Nigeria.
HERBAL DOES NOT MEAN HARMLESS
Across our communities today, particularly on social-media platforms, Nigerians are bombarded with claims that various herbal preparations can cure virtually every disease—from hypertension, diabetes and infertility to cancer, kidney disease, prostate disorders and sexual dysfunction.
Many of these claims lack credible scientific evidence.
The fact that a product is described as natural or herbal does not make it safe. Neither does attractive packaging in bottles, capsules or sachets establish its quality, safety or efficacy.
Good packaging is not evidence of good manufacturing practice. A “natural” product is a poison.
The PSN Ondo State Branch is particularly concerned that vulnerable Nigerians are increasingly being exposed to these products through aggressive social-media marketing, often exploiting fear, poverty, desperation and distrust of conventional healthcare.
A SERIOUS REGULATORY CONTRADICTION
Nigeria has regulatory provisions governing the registration, manufacture, promotion and advertisement of medicines and herbal products. The concern of the PSN is therefore not the absence of regulations alone, but the apparent inadequacy of enforcement, particularly in the digital environment.
While legitimate pharmaceutical practice is subjected to stringent professional and regulatory controls, unscrupulous operators appear to have virtually unrestricted access to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp and other platforms to promote unverified products and make outrageous therapeutic claims.
This must stop.
The digital space must not become a marketplace where anyone can make a medicinal claim, sell a questionable preparation and potentially put human lives at risk.
AN ASSAULT ON PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY
The PSN is equally disturbed by the increasing attempt by some of these operators to use social media to undermine the integrity of Pharmacists and other regulated health professionals.
Some unscrupulous promoters associate themselves with persons presented as health professionals or sponsor professionals to lend credibility to questionable products and practices. In some cases, Pharmacists and the regulated pharmaceutical profession are deliberately portrayed negatively in an attempt to elevate unverified alternatives.
This is not merely an attack on a profession. It is an attack on the integrity of Nigeria’s healthcare system and, ultimately, on patient safety.
The PSN Ondo State Branch will not remain silent while commercial interests are placed above professional ethics and human life.
We call on the relevant professional regulatory bodies to investigate professionals who lend their credentials, influence or platforms to the promotion of products in violation of professional and regulatory standards.
NAFDAC AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES MUST BE AWARE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
We specifically call on NAFDAC and other relevant government agencies to intensify surveillance, enforcement and prosecution of those involved in the manufacture, distribution, sale and promotion of unregistered or unsafe health products.
NAFDAC should urgently:
1. Intensify digital surveillance of social-media platforms and online marketplaces.
2. Identify and sanction those making false, misleading or unsubstantiated therapeutic claims.
3. Trace the manufacturers, distributors and promoters behind such products.
4. Collaborate with social-media companies to remove illegal advertisements and identify repeat offenders.
5. Strengthen post-marketing surveillance and laboratory testing of herbal preparations circulating in Nigeria.
6. Intensify public education on how Nigerians can verify the legitimacy and registration status of health products.
7. Publicise successful enforcement actions sufficiently to serve as a deterrent.
We recognise the enormous responsibility placed on NAFDAC and the challenges posed by inadequate manpower and logistics. We therefore call on the Federal Government to adequately fund the Agency and provide the personnel, laboratories, technology, digital-surveillance capacity and logistics required for effective nationwide enforcement.
Regulation without the capacity and political will to enforce it is regulation on paper.
THE RURAL POOR MUST NOT BECOME GUINEA PIGS
The situation is particularly troubling in rural, riverine and underserved communities, where access to qualified healthcare professionals and reliable medicines may be limited.
Our rural communities must not become testing grounds where unsuspecting Nigerians are effectively turned into guinea pigs for uncontrolled and unethical “clinical trials” of products whose composition, dosage, safety and efficacy are unknown.
This is unacceptable.
The poor must not be made guinea pigs for commercial experimentation simply because they lack the resources or information to protect themselves.
ODIGBO MUST BE A TURNING POINT
The PSN Ondo State Branch believes that the Odigbo tragedy must become a catalyst for decisive regulatory action.
What happened in Odigbo may be only a child’s play compared with what could happen if the proliferation of unregulated concoctions continues unchecked.
Our communities, particularly our rural and riverine communities, are not safe if poisonous or adulterated preparations can be manufactured, packaged, distributed and consumed without effective surveillance.
We therefore urge NAFDAC and other regulatory and security agencies to move from sporadic, reactive enforcement to sustained, intelligence-driven and technology-enabled enforcement.
OUR MESSAGE TO NIGERIANS
We appeal to Nigerians to exercise extreme caution.
Do not consume a product simply because it is advertised on social media, endorsed by a celebrity or presented by someone claiming to be a health professional.
Do not abandon prescribed treatment for an unverified “natural cure”.
When in doubt, speak to a Pharmacist, Doctor or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional and verify the regulatory status of the product before consumption.
The PSN Ondo State Branch commiserates with the families of those who have lost loved ones in the Odigbo incident and wishes those currently receiving treatment a speedy recovery
We commend the Ondo State Government, health authorities, NAFDAC, security agencies and other stakeholders involved in the response and investigation. We urge them to ensure that the truth is established and that justice is served.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ondo State Branch, remains committed to working with government and other stakeholders to protect the health and lives of Nigerians.
Nigerians deserve medicines, not mysteries.
The lives of our people must never become collateral damage in the marketplace of false health claims.
We encourage all Nigerians to be vigilant! Let us take advantage of the Ondo State Contributory Health Board services to take care of our health needs.
Thank you
Pharm.Babalola Osabiya Taiwo, FPSN
Chairman
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria
Ondo State Branch
12 September 2026
