The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for the death penalty for individuals who sell fake drugs. She believes that only strict punishments will stop these sellers, especially when their actions lead to the deaths of children.
Prof. Adeyeye shared a recent incident to highlight the problem. Someone bought children’s medicine for about N13,000, while another person was selling it for around N3,000 in the same mall. This raised an alarm. When NAFDAC tested the cheaper medicine in their Kaduna lab, they found it contained nothing useful. She stated, “You don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head to kill them. Just give them bad medicine.”
She also pointed out that current punishments are too light. For example, someone caught with 225mg of Tramadol, a dose that can be deadly, might only face five years in prison or a fine of N250,000. Prof. Adeyeye noted that such a fine is too small to deter offenders. She emphasized the need for stronger laws and urged the judiciary and National Assembly to support stricter penalties. She said, “If you kill a child with bad medicine, you deserve to die.”
NAFDAC is working with lawmakers to strengthen these penalties. Prof. Adeyeye stressed that without strong laws and firm judicial action, the problem of fake drugs will continue.
This call for harsher punishments reflects NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health and ensuring that those who endanger lives with fake drugs face serious consequences.
