Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC, has disclosed that her efforts to purge the nation of illegal and counterfeit drug items are putting her life in jeopardy.
She claimed that because she is unable to travel around without security protection, she no longer has personal independence.
The NAFDAC DG claims that security issues also affect her employees, who help to make her work relevant. She described how the son of one of her employees was abducted but managed to escape from his captors.
During the presidential media team’s Meet the Media Parley on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Prof. Adeyeye revealed this information.
She addressed the controversy surrounding recent drug market seizures nationwide, saying that the extensive enforcement operation spanning three significant open drug markets—Onitsha, Aba, and Lagos—was among the largest in NAFDAC’s history.
She calculated that the entire worth of the illegally obtained counterfeit goods and medications was around N1 trillion.
Remember how Prof. Dora Akunyili, the former Director-General of NAFDAC (2001-2009), was threatened by drug cartels for her unrelenting efforts to fight counterfeit drugs in Nigeria?
Her sister’s death after obtaining phony insulin served as her personal inspiration. Due to Akunyili’s initiatives, open-air medicine markets were shut down and substantial amounts of counterfeit medications were seized; she also received multiple threats and an assassination attempt in 2003.
Because of the enormous disruption to drug cartel activities caused by her efforts, she became the subject of retaliation.
* “I told you about the attempted murder about six months ago,” the current NAFDAC DG remarked, outlining the agency’s difficulties. Because the parent was carrying out his assigned duties, one of our employees in Kano had his child abducted. Luckily, the kid got away.
“In Abuja and Lagos, I have two police officers that live in my home all the time. I have no life at all. I can’t go anywhere without the police, and I don’t live that way. However, since we must save our nation, I am powerless. However, Prof. Adeyeye added, “I also use common sense,” offering insight into the agency’s delicate operations.
Prof. Adeyeye provided additional information, stating that 87 truckloads of prohibited, out-of-date, and subpar medical supplies have been seized as a result of the agency’s continuous crackdown on the illegal drug trade. These include male and female condoms and antiviral medications given by the UNFPA and USAID.
According to her, the seizures are worth at least N1 trillion, and more evaluation may reveal much more.
Bridge Head Market (Onitsha), Idumota Drug Market (Lagos), and Ariaria and Eziukwu Markets (Aba) were the locations of the operation.
She clarified that this measure is a component of NAFDAC’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) 2023–2027, which aims to improve regulatory compliance, eradicate counterfeit medications, and protect public health.
According to Prof. Adeyeye, 1,100 security personnel, including police, military personnel, and Department of State Services (DSS) agents, participated in the exercise, which started on February 9, 2025.
She claimed that security guards surrounded the marketplaces to stop vendors from hiding or smuggling illicit goods.