Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Chief Olisa Metuh has urged the National Assembly to prescribe stiffer penalties for the production and distribution of fake drugs and adulterated consumer products proposing longer prison terms and asset forfeiture for offenders.
Metuh who is the current Director of Mobilisation and Organisation of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) described the five-year jail term or N5 million fine imposed on a businessman convicted of producing and distributing fake Extra Virgin Olive Oil as grossly inadequate.
The Federal High Court in Abia State had on Wednesday convicted Innocent Okoye for the offence sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment with an option of N5 million fine.
Reacting to the judgment Metuh described the punishment as a ‘mere slap on the wrist’ warning that weak sanctions could encourage unscrupulous manufacturers and distributors to treat counterfeiting as an ordinary business expense.
He said fake medicines adulterated food beverages cosmetics and household products posed serious dangers to public health exposing unsuspecting consumers to illnesses organ damage and preventable deaths.
‘The law must respond with consequences that fit the crime’ he said arguing that product counterfeiting should attract severe punishment because its consequences could affect hundreds or thousands of people.
The lawyer called for an urgent review of existing laws on fake drugs pharmaceutical adulteration and falsification of consumer products to ensure that penalties reflect the severity of the offences the harm caused and the financial gains made by offenders.
He advocated substantially longer prison sentences including punishment comparable to that prescribed for serious violent crimes where counterfeiting results in death or severe injury.
Metuh also called for fines proportionate to illicit profits forfeiture of assets acquired through the illegal business closure of offending facilities and compensation for victims.
He urged authorities to ensure the withdrawal of dangerous products from circulation and prosecute corporate executives manufacturers importers and distributors who knowingly facilitate the offences.
He however stressed that tougher legislation must be accompanied by prompt prosecution and consistent enforcement.
‘A five-year jail term or N5 million fine amounts to a mere slap on the wrist’ he said insisting that such punishment should never become the cost of doing business with human lives.
The call comes amid legislative efforts to strengthen the fight against counterfeit medical products and unwholesome food.
The Senate in July 2026 passed for second reading the Counterfeit Medical Products Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Prohibition and Control) Bill 2026.
The proposed legislation provides for a 15-year prison term upon conviction asset forfeiture compensation for victims and enhanced enforcement powers for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).