Group seeks improved security for NAFDAC boss as agency defends clampdown on fake drugs

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for enhanced security measures for the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, in light of the ongoing nationwide clampdown on fake and substandard drugs.

This call comes after the recent sealing of over 11,000 shops and the arrest of 40 individuals in connection with the crackdown. In a statement issued yesterday, HURIWA urged the NAFDAC DG to exercise extreme caution regarding her personal safety, including scrutinising what she eats and drinks.

The group stated, “If you fight drug lords who are kingpins of the underworld, you must necessarily stay several steps ahead of them in terms of personal security.”

HURIWA also recalled the past threats faced by a former NAFDAC DG, Prof (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, who allegedly succumbed to a mysterious illness after surviving attempts on her life. The group further noted the suspicious killing of her husband in Onitsha, a location where she had waged a relentless war against fake and substandard drugs.

Also, HURIWA called on NAFDAC, the Police, and the Nigeria Customs Service to rid their agencies of corrupt officers who enable the importation of fake and substandard foods and drugs into the country.

The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, further advocated life imprisonment for law enforcement agents found colluding with importers of fake drugs, as well as for manufacturers of fake and substandard products. It emphasised that such penalties should not allow for early release under any circumstances.

MEANWHILE, NAFDAC has justified its recent crackdown on fake drugs across the country and dismissed claims that the organisation was against businesses.

The agency has in recent times embarked on a series of crackdowns on fake drugs, closing markets and shops where these substances were discovered.
However, this has triggered condemnation from some persons who accused the agency of unfairness and targeting non-drug sections of some markets.

But Prof Adeyeye dismissed the allegations and hinged the organisation’s actions on “safeguarding” the health of the nation. She said: “We are not disturbing trade, we are protecting lives. We could not have done it ourselves without the National Security Adviser (NSA). It is a security risk for our country. What the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) showed will break your heart. Young men who have been rendered useless,” Adeyeye said in a video posted on NAFDAC’s X handle following recent seizures by the agency.

“So, what NAFDAC is doing is what NAFDAC is supposed to do – safeguarding. There is no politics in what we are doing. Most of the shops are not registered by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN),” she added.