The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking stiffer penalties for offenders involved in counterfeit medicines and unsafe food products, including a proposed 15-year jail term for medicine hawkers.
The proposed Counterfeit Medical Products, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2026 (SB.951), sponsored by the Senator representing Kwara North, Umar Suleiman, also provides for asset forfeiture, compensation for victims and stronger enforcement powers for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
If passed into law, the bill will repeal the existing Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act, replacing it with a new legal framework designed to address emerging threats such as online drug sales, cross-border trafficking, sophisticated counterfeiting techniques and organised criminal networks.
Leading the debate, Suleiman said the current law had become inadequate to tackle the evolving nature of counterfeit drug operations.
According to him, the proposed legislation is aimed at protecting Nigerians from preventable deaths and disabilities caused by fake medicines while restoring confidence in the country’s healthcare system and the legitimate pharmaceutical industry.
