The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for the death penalty for individuals involved in the production and sale of fake drugs.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television program, on Friday, Adeyeye emphasized that only severe punishments would effectively deter drug counterfeiters, particularly when their actions lead to loss of life.
She cited a recent incident where a children’s medicine, sold at a lower price than the original, was tested in NAFDAC’s Kaduna laboratory and found to contain no active ingredients.
“That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside. I want the death penalty,” she stated. “You don’t need a gun to kill a child—just give them bad medicine.”
Adeyeye criticized the current legal system, describing the penalties for drug-related offenses as too lenient. She pointed out that some individuals caught importing high-dose Tramadol—powerful enough to cause severe health damage—receive only a five-year prison sentence or a fine of N250,000.
“Who doesn’t know that a person can withdraw N250,000 from an ATM? That is part of our problem—there are no strict measures to stop offenders from repeating the same crime,” she lamented.
She urged the judiciary and the National Assembly to implement stricter laws, arguing that without harsher penalties, drug counterfeiters would continue to operate with impunity.
“Our judicial system must be strong enough. We are working with the National Assembly to stiffen penalties. If you kill a child with bad medicine, you deserve to die,” she asserted.
NAFDAC has vowed to intensify its efforts against fake drugs and collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure that offenders face severe consequences. Adeyeye reassured Nigerians that the agency remains committed to safeguarding public health and ensuring that only genuine, safe medicines are available in the country.
