The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for the death penalty as a deterrent for drug peddlers, particularly those whose actions result in the deaths of children.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Adeyeye cited a disturbing case where counterfeit children’s medicine was discovered in the market. She explained that the medicine, which was sold at a suspiciously low price, contained no active ingredients when tested.
“Somebody bought children’s medicine for about N13,000, while another person was selling it for around N3,000 in the same mall. That raised an alarm. Guess what? When we tested the medicine in our Kaduna lab, there was nothing inside. So, I want the death penalty,” she said.
Adeyeye likened the sale of substandard medicine to violent crime, arguing that it causes irreparable harm. “You don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head to kill them. Just give them bad medicine,” she added.
The NAFDAC DG also criticized the current legal framework, which she described as too lenient. She highlighted the case of a drug smuggler caught with 225mg of Tramadol, a dangerous opioid, whose punishment was limited to five years in prison or a fine of just N250,000.
“Someone brought in 225mg of Tramadol, which can kill a person or fry their brain, and the punishment is just five years in prison or a fine of N250,000. Who doesn’t know that a person can simply withdraw N250,000 from an ATM?” she asked.
Adeyeye called for cooperation between the judiciary and the National Assembly to strengthen penalties for drug-related crimes. She emphasized that stiffer laws are essential to deter offenders and prevent repeat violations.
“You cannot fight substandard and falsified medicines in isolation. The agency can only do so much, but if there is no deterrent, there will be a problem,” she explained.
She urged lawmakers and stakeholders to support the agency’s efforts in enacting stronger legislation, stating, “If you kill a child with bad medicine, you deserve to die.”
