- Agency restates death penalty call for peddlers
- Adeyeye alleges receiving death threat
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized fake and illicit drugs worth over N1 trillion in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos.
The agency described the seizure as the largest in the history of its enforcement operations.
Addressing reporters yesterday at the State House in Abuja, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency’s operatives confiscated 87 truckloads of counterfeit, expired, and unregistered medical products, including USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs and condoms found in sealed markets.
Reacting to a question on the value of the seizures made in the operation, Prof. Adeyeye said: “It is N1 trillion. It may have been an underestimation for now, but when we finish the operation, we will have a good idea.”
The NAFDAC boss decried the grave risks the agency’s officials faced in the course of performing their duty to safeguard the nation’s health.
She said fake drug cartels and other criminals in the illicit business have been threatening her life and those of her workers as the agency tightened the noose around the necks of the criminals’ businesses.
“I told you about the attempted murder about six months ago. One of our staff in Kano — his child was kidnapped because the father was doing what he was supposed to do. Fortunately, the child escaped.
“For me, I have two policemen living in my house 24/7 in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life. I cannot go anywhere without the police. To me, that is not my way of living. But I don’t have a choice because we’ve got to save our country,” Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC boss called for harsher penalties for those involved in the counterfeit drug trade.
She particularly sought the support of the National Assembly to amend the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act to include life imprisonment and the death penalty for offenders.
Read Also: NAFDAC seizes N1trn worth of fake drugs in Anambra, Abia, Lagos
“Many people are dying; many have died as a result of the activities of fake drug peddlers. We call on the National Assembly to expedite the amendment of the NAFDAC Act to include life sentence and the death penalty in the penalties for crimes committed under these Acts,” she added.
Adeyeye described the illegal drug trade as a threat to public health and national security.
The NAFDAC boss listed some of the drugs in the large seizure, including large quantities of Tramadol, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), Nitrazepam, and Diazepam, which are commonly linked to drug abuse and crimes.
“The sheer volume of these narcotics is enough to destabilise national security,” she warned.
The enforcement operation, which began on February 9, involved 1,100 security operatives, including the military, the police, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Security forces cordoned off markets in Ariaria and Eziukwu (Aba), Bridge Head (Onitsha), and Idumota (Lagos) to prevent traders from smuggling out illegal products.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC operatives uncovered shocking violations of drug storage and distribution regulations.
According to her, over 7,000 shops were screened with 40 arrests made so far.
A database of offenders and their shops has been compiled for prosecution, she said.
The NAFDAC boss announced that all seized counterfeit drugs would be publicly destroyed where they were confiscated.
She also reaffirmed plans, in collaboration with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), to relocate all open drug markets within the next year to six Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) — one in each geopolitical zone.
The successful crackdown was part of NAFDAC’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) 2023-2027 to eliminate counterfeit medicines, improve regulatory compliance, and protect public health.
Prof. Adeyeye’s revelations echoed the experiences of former NAFDAC Director General, the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, who faced assassination attempts for her relentless fight against fake drugs.