The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged the National Assembly to enact laws imposing life imprisonment or the death penalty for individuals involved in the sale of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria.
NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, stressed the need for stricter penalties, citing the alarming prevalence of fake pharmaceuticals in the country.
During a recent operation, including a raid on the Onitsha Head Bridge drug market, the agency seized counterfeit and substandard medical products valued at over N1 trillion.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Adeyeye confirmed that the confiscated banned, expired, and unregistered drugs would be publicly destroyed in their respective seizure locations.
She also called on lawmakers to amend the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act to include stricter penalties for offenders.
“With the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) now in effect, assets seized from suspects will be treated as proceeds of crime upon conviction,” she added.
Adeyeye described the agency’s ongoing enforcement efforts as a public health protection initiative, lamenting the loss of lives caused by fake drug peddlers.
She also highlighted manpower shortages and corruption within the drug supply chain as major obstacles in the fight against counterfeit products. NAFDAC currently has only 2,000 staff nationwide, which she described as inadequate to combat the widespread issue.
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