The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has proposed the death penalty for drug traffickers.
Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, stated that only severe penalties will deter drug peddlers, particularly those responsible for distributing harmful substances that endanger children’s lives.
During an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Adeyeye highlighted a disturbing case where children’s medicine was sold for N13,000, with another seller offering it for N3,000 in the same mall. Upon testing, the medicine was found to contain no active ingredients.
She said, “That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside that medicine when we tested it in our Kaduna lab. So, I want the death penalty.”
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She argued that giving a child dangerous medicine is as lethal as pointing a gun at them, and that stricter penalties are necessary to deter such crimes.
Adeyeye is also calling for cooperation from the judiciary and the National Assembly to implement these severe penalties. She emphasized that fighting substandard and counterfeit medicines cannot be done in isolation and that without deterrents, the problem will persist.
“Somebody brought in 225mg of Tramadol that can kill anyone, fry the brain, and you give a sentence of five years or a N250,000 fine. Who doesn’t know that the person will go to the ATM and withdraw N250,000?” she said. “There are no strict measures to prevent people from repeating these crimes. We can do all we can, but without strong laws and a judiciary that stands firm, we will face issues.”
She also pointed out that NAFDAC faces significant challenges due to a shortage of staff and limited resources. With only around 2,000 staff members nationwide, Adeyeye believes the agency struggles to carry out its responsibilities effectively.
“We are short-staffed, and I hope things will improve,” she concluded.
