The Niger State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has warned residents to desist from consuming the highly poisonous Aflasafe product allegedly being circulated within Minna, the State capital and its environs.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr Idris Usman Gbogan in a statement in Minna, said the product is not good for human consumption.
According to him, “a report reaching me says some people are consuming the product, and apparently mistaken it for Guinea corn. It is a deadly chemical used for controlling a plant disease known as Aflatoxin”.
Gbogan disclosed that as soon as he received the report, he swung into action by contacting security agencies to go into the markets on a low key operation with a view to fishing out the distributors of the poisonous product.
The statement also revealed that, “the security personnel in disguise went to the fields and tracked down some of the distributors.
“They obtained samples of the product and took it to the lab for further analysis. It proved that the product was a poisonous chemical solely used for treatment of plant diseases and is highly dangerous for human consumption”.
He further stated that extension workers were already on ground sensitizing the people on the dangers of consuming Aflasafe.
