Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has raised the alarm over threats to her life and the safety of the agency's officials.
Adeyeye made this known at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, where he provided updates on the agency's ongoing nationwide enforcement against fake drugs.
She disclosed that NAFDAC officials constantly face danger while coming down heavily on fake and substandard pharmaceutical products across the country.
Therefore, she urged the authorities to provide them with better protection.
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The NAFDAC DG renewed her call for the application of the death penalty against dealers of counterfeit drugs, describing them as merchants of death who put millions of lives at risk.
“One of our staff members in Kano had his child kidnapped because he refused to compromise. Luckily, the child escaped.”
According to Adeyeye, NAFDAC's recent intensified enforcement had led to the seizure of 87 truckloads of substandard and expired medical products, including antiretroviral drugs, condoms, and other compromised medical supplies.
The operation, which affected major drug markers in Lagos, Anambra, and Abia, resulted in the confiscation of fake drugs valued at over N1 trillion, making it the largest seizure in the agency’s history.
She, however, lamented the personal toll of the job, noting that she now requires round-the-clock police protection.
“I have two policemen living with me in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life anymore. I can’t go anywhere without escorts. That’s not how I want to live, but I have no choice,” she said.
Despite the threats and intimations, the NAFDAC DG reaffirmed the agency's commitment to purging the country of counterfeit drugs.