By Favour Bibaikefie

The Senate has advanced a bill that seeks to impose stricter sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit medicines and unsafe processed foods, including a proposed 15-year prison sentence for drug hawkers.

The proposed legislation, titled the Counterfeit Medical Products, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2026 (SB.951), successfully passed its second reading during plenary on Wednesday.

Sponsored by Senator Umar Suleiman, who represents Kwara North, the bill also recommends the confiscation of assets linked to counterfeit drug activities, compensation for victims, and expanded enforcement powers for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

If enacted, the legislation will replace the existing law regulating counterfeit drugs and unwholesome processed foods. The proposed legal framework is designed to address modern challenges such as internet-based drug sales, cross-border smuggling, advanced counterfeiting methods, and organised criminal operations.

Leading the debate, Senator Suleiman argued that the current law no longer adequately addresses the growing sophistication of fake drug networks. He said the bill aims to reduce preventable deaths and illnesses caused by counterfeit medicines while restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system and the pharmaceutical industry.

The bill criminalises the manufacture, importation, transportation, storage, distribution, sale and possession of counterfeit medical products and fake drugs. It also prohibits the production or possession of fake labels, packaging materials and equipment used in manufacturing counterfeit products.

Additionally, the proposed law seeks to ban 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 assured lawmakers that concerns regarding possible overlaps between the proposed legislation and the NAFDAC Act would be examined during the committee stage.

According to Akpabio, offenders found guilty under the proposed law could face up to 15 years in prison, substantial fines, compensation payments to victims or their families, sanctions against corporate organisations and their directors, as well as forfeiture of assets connected to the crimes.

To strengthen enforcement, the bill empowers NAFDAC to deploy modern product-tracking systems, establish enforcement task forces at national and state levels, inspect facilities, seize counterfeit products, arrest suspects, seal offending premises and intensify surveillance at Nigeria’s entry points.

The legislation also grants the Federal High Court exclusive jurisdiction over offences arising from the law and provides for accelerated trials to ensure quicker prosecution of offenders.

Most senators supported the bill, although some members requested further clarification on how it would align with existing provisions of the NAFDAC Act before its final passage.