My Life Under Threat Over Raids On Fake Drugs — NAFDAC Boss

…Says Seized Counterfeit Products In Three Cities Amount To N1trn

ABUJA – The Director General of the Na­tional Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adey­eye, has revealed that her life was under danger over her efforts to rid the country of fake and illicit drug products.

She said doesn’t have a life anymore, as she has no freedom to move the way she pleases with out security protection.

According to the NAFDAC DG, her staff who assist to make her job meaningful are also facing security threats, giving account of how one of her staff member’s son was kidnapped, but luckily es­caped from the abductors.

Prof. Adeyeye gave this ac­count on Wednesday at the Pres­idential Villa, Abuja, at ‘Meet the Media Parley’ organised by the Presidential Media Team.

Speaking on the controversies trailing recent seizures in some drug markets within the country, she said the recent large-scale enforcement operation across three major open drug markets of Onitsha, Aba and Lagos, will pass as one of the biggest seizures in NAFDAC’s history.

She estimated the total drugs and counterfeit products seized at about N1 trillion.

Recall that Prof. Dora Akuny­ili was a victim of drug cartels due to her relentless efforts to combat counterfeit drugs in Ni­geria, while she held sway as the Director-General of NAFDAC from 2001 to 2009.

Her personal motivation stemmed from the death of her sister, who died after receiving fake insulin. Akunyili’s cam­paigns led to the closure of open-air medicine markets and the confiscation of large quantities of fake drugs, which earned her numerous threats and an assassi­nation attempt in 2003.

Her actions significantly dis­rupted the operations of drug cartels, making her a target.

Narrating the agency’s chal­lenges, the current NAFDAC DG said, “I told you about the attempt­ed murder about six months ago. One of our staff in Kano, his child was kidnapped because the father was doing what he was supposed to do. Fortunately the child escaped.

“For me, I have two policemen living in my house 24/7 in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life. I can­not go anywhere without police and to me that is not my way of living. But I don’t have a choice because we’ve got to save our country. Nonetheless, I also use common sense,” Prof. Adeyeye said as she provided elucidation into the agency’s precarious op­erations.

Shedding more light, Prof. Adeyeye said the ongoing crack­down on illicit drug trade by operatives of the agency has also resulted in the seizure of 87 truckloads of banned, expired, and substandard medical prod­ucts, including USAID and UNF­PA-donated antiretroviral drugs, male and female condoms.

She said the value of the sei­zures is at least N1 trillion and could be much higher after as­sessment.

The operation was executed in Ariaria and Eziukwu Markets (Aba), Bridge Head Market (Onit­sha), and Idumota Drug Market (Lagos).

She said it was part of NAF­DAC’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) 2023-2027, aimed at eliminat­ing counterfeit medicines, im­proving regulatory compliance, and safeguarding public health.

Prof. Adeyeye revealed that the exercise, which commenced on February 9, 2025, involved 1,100 security operatives, including military personnel, police, and Department of State Services (DSS) agents.

According to her, the security forces cordoned off the markets to prevent traders from concealing or smuggling out illegal products.

She affirmed that the opera­tion uncovered shocking viola­tions of drug storage and distri­bution regulations, including: diverted donated medical sup­plies, large quantities of USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretro­viral drugs and condoms meant to support Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response were found expired and repackaged for sale.

She said these life-saving med­ications were either improperly stored or deliberately resold for profit, undermining global efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

Significant volumes of Tra­madol, Flunitrazepam (Rohyp­nol), Nitrazepam, and Diazepam drugs linked to rising drug abuse, crime, and insecurity, were seized.

The Director General said the sheer volume of these narcotics was deemed sufficient to destabi­lise national security.

According to the NAFDAC boss, a large quantity of Tafradol, recently banned in India after a BBC undercover investigation ex­posed its illicit export to Africa, was discovered in Onitsha.

According to her, the drug, unapproved anywhere in the world, has been widely abused in Nigeria.

Prof. Adeyeye noted that vac­cines, prescription medicines, and thermolabile drugs (requir­ing cold storage) were found stacked in toilets, staircases, and rooftops at dangerously high tem­peratures.

Similarly, oxytocin injections and other essential medicines were stored under extreme heat, rendering them ineffective and potentially harmful.

Some warehouses were packed with pharmaceuticals in rooms with no windows, where temperatures could reach 40°C, accelerating chemical degrada­tion.

On fake, expired, and unreg­istered drugs, she disclosed that banned and expired drugs were hidden in plumbing and wood plank sections of Onitsha’s Bridge Head Market, far from the authorities’ usual focus while un­registered and falsified products were found in over 7,000 shops screened during the operation.

The Director General an­nounced that so far, 40 arrests have been made, with suspects facing prosecution.

She urged the National Assembly to develop the will to enact death penalty or life imprisonment for peddlers of fake and counterfeit drugs in the country.

According to her, such puni­tive measure is the only way for perpetrators to atone for their wickedness, especially the level of fake and counterfeit products in circulation in the country.