The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has proposed the death penalty for drug peddlers.
She emphasized that only harsh penalties could effectively deter such activities, particularly when they result in the deaths of children.
Adeyeye shared an alarming example: “Someone bought children’s medicine for about N13,000, while another person was selling it for around N3,000 in the same mall. When we tested the product in our Kaduna lab, we found it contained nothing.” She stressed the severity of the issue, saying, “You don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head to kill them. Just give them bad medicine.”
The NAFDAC DG is calling for the support of the judiciary and the National Assembly to make such a proposal a reality, highlighting the need for collaboration with lawmakers and other stakeholders. She pointed out that substandard and falsified medicines cannot be combated in isolation, and without strong deterrents, the problem will persist.
In addition, Adeyeye expressed concern over the agency’s limited resources, noting that NAFDAC currently has only around 2,000 staff members nationwide and faces financial constraints. Despite these challenges, she remains committed to tackling drug peddling to protect public health.
