The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has called for stricter penalties, including the death penalty, for individuals involved in the sale of substandard and falsified medicines.
The Director-General, of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, emphasized that weak penalties have failed to deter offenders, especially in cases where counterfeit drugs have led to the deaths of children.
“Someone purchased children’s medicine for N13,000, while another was retailing it for roughly N3,000 in the same mall,” Adeyeye recalled. “This sparked concern. If you can believe it, when we tested the medicine in our Kaduna lab, it turned out to be empty. Therefore, I am calling for the death penalty.”
She compared the act of selling counterfeit medications to murder, stating, “You don’t have to hold a gun to a child’s head to take their life; simply providing them with harmful medicine suffices.”
Adeyeye highlighted the importance of collaboration among NAFDAC, the judiciary, and legislators to enhance the legal framework. She stated that the agency is currently partnering with the National Assembly to establish harsher penalties for violators.
“You can’t tackle substandard and counterfeit medicine on your own. The agency can take various actions, but without a deterrent, issues will persist,” she said.
She expressed her disapproval of the existing legal system, pointing out that overly lenient sentences pose a serious problem. “If someone brings in 225mg of Tramadol, which can be detrimental to the brain, and receives only a five-year prison sentence or a fine of N250,000, it’s clear that they can easily withdraw that amount from an ATM afterward.”
Adeyeye stressed her position on harsher penalties, stating, “If you cause a child’s death through harmful medicine, you deserve to face death as well.”
She called on the judiciary to reinforce its commitment to tackling offenders, emphasizing that the battle against counterfeit drugs cannot be successful without strong legal consequences.
