Sweet Sweet Codeine – inside Nigeria’s deadly cough syrup trade

This YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on YouTube
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
Skip youtube video by BBC News Africa

Allow YouTube content?

This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.

Thousands of young Nigerians are addicted to codeine cough syrup - a medicine that's become a street drug. The government estimates that up to 3 million bottles of the addictive syrup are drunk every day in just two northern states. Taken in excess, codeine can cause psychosis and organ failure.

But who makes this syrup? And who sells it to Nigeria's children?

In this exclusive investigation, BBC Africa Eye and BBC Pidgin went undercover to find out.

Less than 24 hours after this film was screened, the Nigerian government banned the import and manufacture of codeine-based syrup.

This is the first documentary from BBC Africa's new investigations unit, Africa Eye.