Senate Moves to Impose 15-Year Jail Term, Asset Seizure for Fake Drug Offenders
The Senate has advanced a bill seeking tougher penalties for individuals involved in the production, distribution and sale of counterfeit medicines and unsafe food products, proposing a 15-year prison sentence for medicine hawkers and the forfeiture of assets linked to such crimes.
The proposed Counterfeit Medical Products, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2026, sponsored by Senator Umar Suleiman (Kwara North), passed second reading on Wednesday.
The bill seeks to repeal the existing law regulating counterfeit drugs and replace it with a stronger legal framework to tackle emerging threats, including online drug sales, cross-border trafficking, sophisticated counterfeiting methods and organised criminal networks.
Leading the debate, Suleiman said the current legislation is no longer sufficient to address the growing menace of fake drugs, stressing that the new bill aims to protect Nigerians from preventable deaths and disabilities while restoring confidence in the country’s healthcare system and pharmaceutical industry.
According to him, the legislation criminalises the production, importation, manufacture, transportation, distribution, sale, possession and facilitation of counterfeit medical products, fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods. It also outlaws the manufacture or possession of fake labels, packaging materials and equipment used in producing counterfeit products.
The bill further prohibits the sale and hawking of medicines in unauthorised locations, including open markets, motor parks, roadside stalls, buses, ferries and unlicensed online platforms.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said offenders would face up to 15 years imprisonment, heavy fines, compensation to victims or their families, sanctions against corporate organisations and their directors, as well as forfeiture of assets connected to the offences.
The proposed law also grants the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) wider enforcement powers, including the deployment of modern product-tracking technology, the establishment of national and state enforcement task forces, inspection of facilities, seizure of counterfeit products, arrest of suspects, sealing of premises and intensified surveillance at the nation’s entry points.
In addition, the bill gives the Federal High Court exclusive jurisdiction over offences under the proposed law and provides for accelerated trials to ensure speedy prosecution.
The proposal received broad support from lawmakers, although some senators called for further clarification on its relationship with the existing NAFDAC Act during the committee stage.
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