For years, they sat on shelves in market corners and behind restaurant counters—small boxes, quiet promises, written in foreign letters.
They claimed to heal. To energize. To restore. But behind those glossy labels, Nigeria now knows the truth: they were deadly.
A sweeping investigation has just turned the tide. Health authorities have blown the lid on a secret network of North Korean-made traditional supplements being sold in Nigeria—products packed with mercury, arsenic, and other toxic substances in mind-numbing concentrations.
The worst discovery? A supplement called Angung Uhwanghwan, which tested at 9,556 ppm of mercury. That’s not just unsafe, it’s poison. Some of these so-called “cures” contain steroids banned worldwide, and others even mimic prescription sexual drugs like Viagra and Cialis, totally unregulated.
“This is a wake-up call for the nation,” a senior analyst said. “We’re not just talking about fake drugs anymore, we’re talking about chemical weapons disguised as medicine.”
The shock is rippling through the public health sector. Advocacy groups and medics are demanding an immediate ban, nationwide product seizures, and stricter import surveillance at the borders. They want raids. They want labels checked. They want the silence broken.
And everyday Nigerians? Many are just now realizing they may have been putting their lives at risk all along, swallowing danger one capsule at a time.
But there’s still time to turn the story around.
NAFDAC has been called into action. Awareness campaigns are being planned.
Consumers are being urged to look closer at what they’re buying and to say no to any product that hasn’t been officially approved.
Because sometimes, the most dangerous things don’t arrive with a bang.
They arrive in pretty packaging.
And they sit quietly—until someone dares to look inside.