Poison for Sale: DIY Concoctions Flood Nigeria’s Markets As Regulatory Bodies Turn a Blind Eye

A dangerous wave of do-it-yourself (DIY) concoctions is sweeping across Nigeria, promoted through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. From homemade insecticides made with industrial chemicals to unregulated baby “weight gain” products, bleaching creams and soaps, and false promises of altering blood genotype, many Nigerians are turning to these practices in alarming numbers, with little or no response from regulatory authorities.

These practices are not only ineffective but potentially deadly. However, in the face of this public health threat, government agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Federal Ministry of Health have remained largely silent.

Chemical Cocktails in the Name of Insecticides

In a viral TikTok video that has garnered over 2000 views, a woman is seen mixing Sniper (a banned dichlorvos-based pesticide) with kerosene, petrol, and camphor to create what she claims is a powerful home insecticide. She demonstrates how to prepare the mixture, with many confirming that they also use it.

This mixture is not only flammable but also highly toxic. Inhaling or absorbing any of these chemicals, especially indoors, can cause respiratory failure, organ damage, or even death.

This is chemical suicide. Mixing volatile solvents and pesticides in closed spaces can lead to fatal poisoning. Sniper was banned for domestic use in 2019, yet it’s still sold in markets.

Exploiting Babies for Likes and Profit

In another disturbing trend, social media vendors are selling homemade “weight gain formulas” for infants. These unlabelled mixtures, often sold in reused plastic bottles, are marketed as herbal or “organic” products that help babies gain weight quickly.

Videos promoting the products show visibly bloated infants, drawing applause in the comments from viewers unaware of the possible consequences. Medical professionals say these concoctions often include raw pap, milk powder, ground nuts, ground multivitamins, cod liver oil, and even mashed steroids, all mixed without dosage or hygiene control.

This is child abuse, not nutrition. Giving unapproved substances to babies based on online advice can lead to liver damage, obesity, or hormonal imbalance.

DIY Genotype “Cures” Exploiting Desperation

In one of the most alarming trends, some online vendors now claim to offer herbal mixtures that can “change” a person’s genotype, especially from SS (sickle cell) to AA. These unverified “cures” are usually sold with fabricated testimonials, fake lab results, and before-and-after genotype reports aimed at exploiting the hopes of sickle cell patients and their families.

The products, usually labelled as “organic blood cleansers” or “DNA reset formulas,” are being sold, and none have been clinically tested or approved by NAFDAC.

Medical professionals have condemned the trend as dangerous quackery.

There is no known cure for sickle cell outside of bone marrow transplant, which is highly specialised and expensive. Any claim of a herbal drink altering genotype is fraudulent.

These misleading claims not only waste money but also risk lives by delaying proper medical care and promoting false hope.

Bleaching Craze Now the Norm Online

Parallel to the genotype scam is the soaring popularity of unregulated skin-bleaching products, which has become normalised on Nigerian social media. Online vendors now openly sell homemade whitening soaps, creams, oils, and body scrubs made from industrial chemicals such as hydroquinone, mercury compounds, steroid creams, and household detergents.

Tutorial videos showing how to mix “triple-action” bleaching kits routinely go viral. Many of these concoctions are made in unsanitary conditions and packaged in unlabelled plastic containers. Some vendors even promote extreme treatments like injection-based glutathione bleaching, which carries severe long-term risks.

Despite the well-documented dangers, including kidney failure, skin thinning, infections, and cancer, there has been little crackdown on the sellers or platforms enabling them.

Dermatologists and consumer safety experts are calling for urgent regulation and public education to counteract this growing health hazard.

We are now seeing patients with irreversible skin damage and organ complications caused by these illegal products. The government must stop pretending this is harmless vanity. It’s a full-blown health crisis,” a practitioner said.

A Deeper Crisis: Poverty Is Fueling the Poison

What connects all of these trends is economic desperation. As inflation rises, healthcare costs climb, and unemployment remains high, many Nigerians, particularly women and young people, view homemade products as a means to earn a living or reduce household expenses. Others cannot afford hospitals or pharmaceuticals.

When you can’t afford a ₦5,000 hospital visit, you turn to a ₦1,500 herbal cure. People are trying to survive in a broken system.

The government has failed to address both the economic drivers of these trends and the regulatory gaps that allow them to flourish.

Despite previous statements from NAFDAC on the dangers of unregulated products and pesticide use, enforcement is weak. Online platforms remain unmonitored, and vendors face no meaningful consequences for endangering public health.

Regulators Missing in Action

The silence of regulatory bodies is enabling a public health disaster. Though NAFDAC has issued warnings against the use of Sniper and counterfeit cosmetics, enforcement remains weak, particularly on social media platforms where sellers easily evade tracking.

Social media has become a free-for-all marketplace for poison. Where is NAFDAC? Where is the Ministry of Health? Why are these things happening in the open?

The government’s inaction raises serious questions about regulation in the digital age, where health misinformation can spread faster than truth and enforcement lags behind the speed of innovation.

Nigeria’s weak consumer protection systems, combined with poverty, poor health literacy, and desperation, are driving citizens toward these dangerous alternatives. But without urgent intervention, the country risks a new wave of chemical injuries, organ failures, and preventable deaths.

Health experts are calling for a nationwide crackdown on unregulated product sales, mandatory regulation of influencers who promote health-related content, and aggressive public health campaigns to counter misinformation.

As poverty deepens, Nigerians are being forced into dangerous self-solutions, many of which do far more harm than good. While the government boasts of improving healthcare access and implementing economic reforms, a quiet public health emergency is unfolding in the kitchens, markets, and social media feeds of everyday Nigerians.

How many more lives will be harmed before someone acts?

For now, Nigeria’s streets, screens, and markets continue to serve as battlegrounds between survival and safety, with too many citizens choosing poison out of necessity.

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