NAFDAC Proposes Death Penalty for Drug Peddlers

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has made a bold proposal to impose death penalty on drug peddlers.

This proposal follows rising concerns over the proliferation of substandard and falsified medicines in the country.

According to CHANNEL TELEVISION, the Director General of the agency Mojisola Adeyeye, stiff penalties will deter peddlers especially when it leads to the death of children.

“Somebody bought children’s medicine for N13,000 or something like that, another person was selling about N3,000 in the same mall,” Adeyeye said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. “That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside that medicine when we tested it in our Kaduna lab. So, I want the death penalty.”

Adeyeye argued that giving bad medicine to a child is equivalent to killing them without using a gun. “Because you don’t need to put a gun on the head of a child before you kill that child. Just give that child bad medicine,” she said.

To make this proposal a reality, NAFDAC is seeking cooperation from the judiciary and the National Assembly. Adeyeye stressed that the agency is open to partnering with lawmakers and other stakeholders to combat the menace of substandard and falsified medicines.

Adeyeye also highlighted the challenges faced by NAFDAC, including a shortage of manpower and limited funding. With only about 2,000 staff members nationwide, the agency is constrained in carrying out its activities. “So, when it comes to staffing, you’re right on the point. We are short-staffed and I am hoping things will be better,” Adeyeye said.

He added that the agency cannot fight this battle alone and needs the support of the judiciary and the National Assembly to impose stricter penalties.