The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is pushing for the death penalty as a deterrent against drug peddling, particularly when counterfeit medicines result in fatalities.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call during an interview, stressing that weak penalties encourage the circulation of fake drugs. She cited a recent case where children’s medicine sold at a lower price in a mall was found to contain no active ingredients when tested in NAFDAC’s Kaduna laboratory.
“I want the death penalty,” she said. “You don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head before you kill them, just give them bad medicine.”
Adeyeye urged the judiciary and National Assembly to strengthen penalties for drug offenders. She argued that lenient sentences, such as five years in prison or a fine as low as ₦250,000 for trafficking dangerous substances like high-dose Tramadol, fail to serve as effective deterrents.
“There are no strict measures to stop repeat offenders. If our laws and judiciary are not strong enough, we will keep facing this problem,” she warned.
To address the issue, NAFDAC is collaborating with lawmakers to introduce stricter regulations.
Adeyeye maintained that those whose counterfeit medicines lead to deaths should face capital punishment.
