By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
THE DIRECTOR-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for urgent government protection of her life following multiple death threats against her and agency officials.
She alerted that criminal networks involved in counterfeit drug production are targeting those working to safeguard public health in Nigeria.
At a State House briefing in Abuja, Prof. Adeyeye revealed that she now lives under 24-hour police protection due to the dangers posed by counterfeit drug syndicates.
She disclosed that NAFDAC officials have also faced kidnapping attempts, physical attacks, and intimidation for their roles in enforcing regulations against fake and substandard drugs.
“One of our staff members in Kano had his child kidnapped because he refused to compromise. Luckily, the child escaped,” she stated.
“For me, I have two policemen living in my house in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life anymore. I can’t go anywhere without police escorts. But we must save our country.”
She described the threats as reminiscent of those faced by the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, who led NAFDAC from 2001 to 2009 and was nearly assassinated for her relentless fight against fake drugs.
Like Akunyili, Prof. Adeyeye has remained undeterred despite the dangers involved.
The NAFDAC DG also advocated for the death penalty for those involved in the production and sale of counterfeit drugs, arguing that such crimes put millions of lives at risk.
She urged the government to strengthen existing laws to deter criminal activities in the pharmaceutical sector.
She disclosed that NAFDAC recently seized over N1 trillion worth of fake and expired drugs in its largest operation to date, targeting major open drug markets in Lagos, Anambra, and Abia States.
The agency also confiscated 87 truckloads of substandard medical supplies, including antiretroviral drugs, condoms, and other compromised products.
Prof. Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to eradicating counterfeit drugs in Nigeria, despite the risks. “We must protect public health at all costs,” she declared. “This fight will not stop.”
