In an effort to combat the proliferation of substandard medicines in Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has proposed the death penalty for individuals involved in the sale of fake drugs.

NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, made this call during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, emphasizing that only severe punishments will deter those responsible for distributing dangerous medicines that lead to the deaths of children.

She cited a recent case where a children's medicine, originally priced at N13,000, was found being sold for N3,000 in the same shopping mall. Upon testing at NAFDAC’s Kaduna laboratory, the agency discovered that the medicine contained no active ingredients.

“I want the death penalty because you don’t need to put a gun to a child’s head to kill them—just give them bad medicine,” Adeyeye stated firmly.

Adeyeye stressed the need for stronger legal measures and urged collaboration with the judiciary and the National Assembly to ensure stiffer penalties for drug counterfeiters.

“You cannot fight substandard or falsified medicine in isolation. If there is no deterrent, the problem will persist,” she explained.

She also highlighted an incident involving the importation of 225mg of Tramadol, a dangerously high dose capable of causing severe harm. The offender was sentenced to five years in prison or fined N250,000, a punishment she described as inadequate.

“Who doesn’t know that the person will just go to an ATM and withdraw N250,000? That’s the issue—we lack strict measures to deter repeat offenders,” she lamented.

Adeyeye urged the judiciary to take a firmer stance against offenders and revealed that NAFDAC is working with the National Assembly to enact stronger penalties for fake drug production and distribution.

“If you kill a child with bad medicine, you deserve to die,” she reiterated.

Despite its efforts, Adeyeye noted that limited funding and staff shortages continue to constrain NAFDAC’s operations.

“The agency currently has only 2,000 staff members nationwide, making it difficult to effectively combat the widespread issue of fake drugs,” she disclosed.

She called for increased governmental support to strengthen NAFDAC’s ability to protect public health and ensure the safety of medicines in Nigeria.