The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for the death penalty for drug peddlers, arguing that only severe punishment can deter them, especially when their actions lead to the deaths of children.
NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, made the proposal on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
She highlighted a recent case where a children’s medicine sold at a significantly lower price was found to contain no active ingredients after testing at NAFDAC’s Kaduna lab.
“I want the death penalty. You don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head to kill them—just give them bad medicine,” Adeyeye stated.
She urged collaboration between the judiciary and the National Assembly to ensure stricter penalties for offenders.
“You cannot fight substandard and falsified medicines in isolation. The agency can only do so much, but without strong deterrents, the problem will persist,” she added.
Citing an example, she noted that someone caught smuggling 225mg of Tramadol—a dosage that can cause fatal overdoses—faces only a five-year prison sentence or a fine of ₦250,000.
“Who doesn’t know that someone can easily withdraw ₦250,000 from an ATM? That’s part of the problem—our penalties are not strict enough to prevent repeat offenses,” she said.
Adeyeye emphasized the need for a stronger judicial system and confirmed that NAFDAC is working with the National Assembly to enforce tougher penalties.
“If you kill a child with bad medicine, you deserve to die,” she concluded.
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