The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has proposed the death penalty for individuals involved in the sale of counterfeit and substandard drugs.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, made this call on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, emphasizing that only severe punishment would serve as an effective deterrent especially when such drugs result in the deaths of innocent children.
Sharing a disturbing case, Adeyeye recounted how a children’s medicine, typically sold for about N13,000, was being offered for just N3,000 in the same store. Upon testing the product in NAFDAC’s Kaduna laboratory, it was discovered to contain no active ingredients.
“I support the death penalty,” she declared. “You don’t need a gun to kill a child, just give them bad medicine.”
Adeyeye urged the judiciary and the National Assembly to take decisive action by enacting stricter laws against drug peddlers. According to her, the current penalties are too lenient to prevent repeat offenses.
Citing another case, she revealed that someone was caught smuggling 225mg of Tramadol; a dosage potent enough to cause fatal brain damage but was only sentenced to five years in prison or given the option of a N250,000 fine.
“How is a N250,000 fine a deterrent when someone can withdraw that amount from an ATM?” she asked.
“That is part of our problem; weak laws and inadequate punishments. If you kill a child with fake medicine, you deserve to face the ultimate penalty.”
Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to working closely with lawmakers to amend existing laws and introduce stricter measures against offenders, ensuring that justice is served and lives are protected.