Leadership (Abuja)
31 January 2008
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili, today in Abuja called for life sentence, with no option of fine, for fake and counterfeit drug dealers.
Akunyili, who spoke at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum, said the law against drug counterfeiting and adulteration was "too weak".
She said that three months to five years imprisonment or an option of fine of between N10,000 and N500,000 for offenders was not acceptable.
"What is N500,000 to these offenders? It is like N5 to you and I. I am of the opinion that if there are stiffer sanctions it will be a deterrent to others.
"This has made the perpetrators of this crime not to be afraid of the courts. They are more afraid of the press than the courts," Akunyili said.
The director general said some criminals were moving away from counterfeiting and gun running to fake drugs because the penalty was mild.
She said the effect of fake drugs was more deadly than HIV, armed robbery and many other scourges plaguing the people put together.
She said one could avoid contracting HIV while armed robbers did not always kill, but no one could avoid taking drugs, no matter how highly placed.
Akunyili said the sophistication in drug counterfeiting and copying was at a high-tech level.
"The Chinese are the worst culprit. The level of sophistication is unequalled," she added, saying that in some cases the fake drugs appeared better packaged.She said that that informed the decision to ban 30 Indian, Pakistani and Chinese companies that were confirmed to be producing fake drugs.
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