Africa Eye

Sweet Sweet Codeine: Nigeria's Cough Syrup Crisis (2018x1)

Air date: May 01, 2018

In Nigeria, thousands of young people are addicted to codeine cough syrup – a medicine that’s become a street drug. The Nigerian senate estimates that 3 million bottles of codeine syrup are drunk every day in just two states – Kano and Jigawa. But who makes this syrup? And who sells it to Nigeria’s students? BBC Africa Eye went undercover to investigate.