The director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has reiterated the call for stiffer penalties for drug peddlers.

This is contained in a statement by the agency’s resident media consultant, Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Sunday.

The statement quoted Ms Adeyeye as saying drug peddlers are merchants of death who prioritise making huge money at the expense of other people’s lives.

She, however, called for the introduction of the death penalty for drug peddlers, especially those whose actions result in the passing of children.

The NAFDAC boss emphasised that only severe penalties would effectively deter drug peddlers, especially those selling harmful, substandard medication.

Ms Adeyeye cited the case of a person who imports a high dose of Tramadol, which she said could cause severe harm or death but gets only a minimal sentence of five years in prison or a fine of N250,000.

“Who wouldn’t pay a fine of N250,000 and go on to commit the same offence?” Ms Adeyeye asked. “That’s part of our issue—there are no stringent measures in place to prevent repeat offences.”

She said lawmakers had promised to partner with NAFDAC to make penalties for drug peddling far more severe, adding that the agency would continue to work tirelessly to address these issues.

Ms Adeyeye also said the agency was struggling with limited staffers and resources, stressing that “the agency only had less than  2,000 employees nationwide.”

The NAFDAC boss said an inadequate number of staffers has caused significant challenges for the agency, especially in the area of enforcement.

“We are understaffed, and our funding is limited. I hope things will improve so we can strengthen our efforts,” Ms Adeyeye said.

(NAN)