NAFDAC seeks death penalty for drug crimes

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

In a massive operation, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized over N1 trillion worth of banned, expired and substandard medical products across Nigeria’s major open drug markets.

Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, who made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents, called for life sentences and the death penalty for individuals involved in drug crimes.

“What we are currently underestimating is a figure of N1 trillion. Yes, that’s N1 trillion Naira. This might be an underestimation for now, but once we complete the operation, we will have a clearer understanding of how these drugs are entering our country. As Governor Soludo said, these drugs are not spirits. They came into the country through borders and as I often say, it takes a village to raise a child. It doesn’t take only NAFDAC and Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) to ensure that we have sanity in our drug distribution or we mitigate some standard falsified medicines.”

Adeyeye said the operation carried out in the last couple of weeks, involving 1,100 security operatives, uncovered USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs and male and female condoms, which were expired but were repackaged for sale.

She emphasised the need for stricter penalties, calling for life imprisonment or death sentence for counterfeit drug dealers.

She urged the National Assembly to incorporate these penalties into the amendment of the NAFDAC Act (NI LFN) and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act (C34 Act).

She emphasised the importance of including these severe penalties in the amendment of the Acts as a deterrent to drug crimes, which she said, had led to the deaths of several innocent Nigerians, including children.

She said the agency had in the past days embarked on a sweeping enforcement operation across the country’s three major open drug markets of Onitsha, Aba and Lagos.

She said the 87 truck loads of drugs confiscated were the biggest in the agency’s history.

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.

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 the 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.

Also, she said a large quantity of Tramadol, 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.

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 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 DG announced that so far, 40 arrests had been made, with suspects facing prosecution.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, coordinated security forces for the operation, ensuring strict compliance.

Adeyeye also said a database of the offending shops and their owners has been compiled for further legal action.

According to her, the seized drugs would be publicly destroyed in the three cities after the exercise.

She spoke about plans by NAFDAC and the PCN to relocate all open drug markets within the next year to six Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs), one per geopolitical zone.

NAFDAC is also seeking tougher penalties, calling on the National Assembly to amend the NAFDAC Act and the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act to impose life imprisonment or even the death penalty for convicted counterfeit drug dealers.

“With the signing into law, the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) for forfeiture of assets, the assets recovered from suspects will be treated as proceeds of crime after their conviction by the courts. We use this opportunity to call on the National Assembly to expedite the amendment of NAFDAC ACT NI LFN and Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods C34 ACT to include life sentence and death penalty in the penalties for crimes committed under these Acts,” Prof Adeyeye stated.

The Director General said the sealed drug markets may be reopened in about a week’s time.

“This exercise is purely an enforcement operation to protect public health and rid our country of falsified and substandard medical products,” she affirmed.

The NAFDAC DG explained why the shut markets at the Onitsha Bridge Head cannot be easily reopened, stating that the situation had escalated beyond the organisation’s control. He said: “For the remaining period of the exercise, shops with non-violative or non-NAFDAC regulated products are being reopened, while owners of such shops are required to sign undertakings agreeing to relocate to the designated Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) upon completion.

“Meanwhile, the operation will continue in Onitsha Bridge Head until next week, when a similar process of opening shops to non-violative owners and charging violative ones accordingly will commence.”

She assured that NAFDAC would conclude by the end of next week, adding, “but the reopening will be on our own terms.”