The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has raised concerns over threats to her life and that of the agency’s staff, following a major crackdown on counterfeit and substandard drugs in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Prof. Adeyeye called for stricter penalties, including life imprisonment and the death penalty, for those involved in the production and distribution of fake drugs.
She urged the National Assembly to expedite amendments to relevant laws to strengthen enforcement.
She disclosed that during a large-scale operation across three major drug markets in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos, NAFDAC seized illicit and fake drugs worth an estimated N1 trillion. The enforcement operation, which she described as the largest in the agency’s history, led to 40 arrests, with suspects facing prosecution.
She stated, “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 police, and to me, that is not my way of living. But I don’t have a choice because we’ve got to save our country. Nonetheless, I also use common sense.”
The NAFDAC DG also revealed that banned, expired, and unregistered drugs were hidden in unlikely sections of markets, such as plumbing and wood plank areas, to evade detection. More than 7,000 shops were screened during the operation. Among the seized drugs was Tafradol, a substance recently banned in India after a BBC investigation exposed its illicit export to Africa.
She further announced that the seized consignments would be publicly destroyed at their respective locations, while a database of offending shops and their owners has been compiled for further legal action.
Prof. Adeyeye reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health, emphasizing that fake drugs have caused countless deaths in Nigeria. She also noted that, under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), assets recovered from convicted offenders would be treated as proceeds of crime.
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she stressed, “We use this opportunity to call on the National Assembly to expedite the amendment of NAFDAC ACT NI LFN and Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods C34 ACT to include LIFE SENTENCE & DEATH PENALTY in the penalties for crimes committed under these Acts.
Adeyeye described the exercise as “purely an enforcement operation to protect public health and rid our country of falsified and substandard medical products.”
“Many people are dying, and many have died as a result of the activities of fake drug peddlers,” she added.
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