Nigeria’s drug enforcement agency, NAFDAC, is pushing for the death penalty and life imprisonment for those caught selling counterfeit medicines, as it conducts its largest-ever nationwide operation.
The agency, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, says Nigeria has long struggled with fake drugs, particularly anti-malarials, painkillers, and antibiotics.
NAFDAC chief Mojisola Adeyeye revealed that the ongoing operation, supported by security forces, has seized large quantities of counterfeit and improperly stored medical supplies. These include vaccines, prescription drugs, USAID-donated anti-retroviral medications, and expired condoms.
Banned opioids, like Tafrodol, and oxytocin injections, used during childbirth, were also seized.
“These products were discovered stacked in toilets, under staircase and rooftop at very high temperatures, without consideration for cold chain storage requirement,” Adeyeye said in a statement.
She is urging lawmakers to expedite amendments to drug and health laws to include the proposed severe penalties.
While the death penalty is legally permissible for offenses like armed robbery, murder, treason, and terrorism in Nigeria, its application has been limited recently, with many sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
This latest operation, which began on February 9th, is NAFDAC’s most extensive, targeting major commercial hubs like Lagos and the southwestern states of Anambra and Abia. The agency has previously conducted smaller raids on markets.