The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has disclosed that her life is in danger due to her efforts to combat counterfeit and illicit drug products in the country.
She revealed that she no longer has personal freedom and requires constant security protection.
Prof. Adeyeye mentioned that her staff, who support her in making significant strides in her role, are also facing security threats. She recounted an incident where one of her staff members’ sons was kidnapped but fortunately managed to escape.
During the Meet the Media Parley organized by the presidential media team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, Prof. Adeyeye discussed the large-scale enforcement operations at major drug markets in Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos. She described these operations as some of the largest in NAFDAC’s history and estimated the total value of seized counterfeit drugs and products to be about N1 trillion.
Prof. Adeyeye also drew parallels to the challenges faced by her predecessor, Prof. Dora Akunyili, who also encountered threats from drug cartels due to her relentless efforts to eradicate counterfeit drugs. Akunyili’s campaigns led to the closure of open-air medicine markets and the confiscation of large quantities of fake drugs, earning her numerous threats and an assassination attempt in 2003.
Speaking about the agency’s current challenges, Prof. Adeyeye shared, “I told you about the attempted murder about six months ago. One of our staff in Kano, his child was kidnapped because the father was doing what he was supposed to do. Fortunately, the child escaped.
For me, I have two policemen living in my house 24/7 in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life. I cannot go anywhere without police, and to me, that is not my way of living. But I don’t have a choice because we have to save our country. Nonetheless, I also use common sense,” Prof. Adeyeye explained, shedding light on the agency’s precarious operations.
