The battle against dangerous counterfeit drugs took a darker turn as NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, called for harsher penalties for those peddling life-threatening, substandard medication. Speaking in a statement, Adeyeye didn’t mince words, branding fake drug peddlers as “merchants of death” whose greed for profit is devastating lives across the nation.
In a fierce plea, she advocated for the death penalty for those whose illegal drugs cause the deaths of children, arguing that only severe consequences could deter repeat offenders. She pointed to a shocking case where a man imported lethal amounts of Tramadol, a drug linked to countless fatalities, yet faced a mere five-year sentence or a laughable fine of N250,000. “Who wouldn’t pay that and keep repeating the crime?” Adeyeye asked, stressing the need for harsher laws.
With lawmakers promising support, Adeyeye made it clear that NAFDAC’s fight was far from over. However, she acknowledged the agency’s limitations, noting its insufficient workforce of just 2,000 staff members nationwide and limited resources, which hindered their efforts to curb the dangerous trade. “We need more hands and better funding to tackle this menace effectively,” she concluded.
