*Makes case for death penalty for fake drug dealers
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised the alarm over threats to her life and that of her staff, urging authorities to protect agency operatives navigating dangerous conditions in their fight against counterfeit drugs.
Prof. Adeyeye made this known while addressing journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a large-scale enforcement operation across major drug markets in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos—the biggest in NAFDAC’s history.
The agency seized fake and illicit drugs worth an estimated ₦1 trillion during the operation.
Citing the threats faced by NAFDAC personnel, Adeyeye recalled a recent assassination attempt on one of her staff members in Kano, where the official’s child was kidnapped but later escaped.
She also revealed that she has had to live under 24/7 police protection in Abuja and Lagos.
Prof. Adeyeye is also pushing for harsher penalties, including the death sentence and life imprisonment, for those involved in the counterfeit drug trade.
She is further calling on the National Assembly to fast-track amendments to the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act to reflect the severe punishments and serve as deterrent to fake drug dealers.
“With the signing of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), assets recovered from convicted offenders will now be forfeited as proceeds of crime,” she added.
NAFDAC’s latest crackdown uncovered shocking violations in drug storage and distribution.
The seizure of 87 truckloads of banned, expired, and substandard medicines included USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs and condoms, meant for Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response, found expired and repackaged for sale.
There was also the case of large quantities of Tramadol, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), Nitrazepam, and Diazepam, which fuel drug abuse and insecurity.
Tafradol, a drug recently banned in India after a BBC investigation exposed its illegal export to Africa, vaccines, prescription medicines, and temperature-sensitive drugs stored under extreme heat, making them unsafe for use.
Prof. Adeyeye described the sheer volume of narcotics seized as a potential threat to national security.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, coordinated security forces for the operation, which involved 1,100 operatives from the military, police, and Department of State Services (DSS).
So far, 40 arrests have been made, with suspects facing prosecution.
NAFDAC has also compiled a database of offending shops and their owners for further legal action.
As part of a broader reform, NAFDAC and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) plan to relocate all open drug markets within a year to six Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
The seized counterfeit drugs will be publicly destroyed in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos.
Prof. Adeyeye vowed that NAFDAC would remain relentless in safeguarding public health and eliminating counterfeit medicines from Nigeria’s markets.
, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised the){kind=link}