President Bola Tinubu has been charged to take urgent and decisive steps to protect the life of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and her staff that are reportedly being threatened.
The apex Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, which gave the charge following a distress call by Adeyeye regarding threat to her life and of her staff, said the alarm raised by the director-general should not be dismissed with platitudes.
“She stands at the frontline of Nigeria’s battle against counterfeit drugs, toxic consumables and the nefarious interest of syndicates profiting from human suffering. Any attempt on her life is an assault on public health, national security and the very fabric of a society that aspires to be governed by law and order,” Afenfere said in a statement by its Organising Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu.
According to the group, Nigeria cannot afford to abandon those who risk everything for the greater good. Afenifere said that public officials like the NAFDAC boss and her counterpart in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) must be fortified with comprehensive security apparatus, including armoured vehicles, elite personnel and advanced surveillance systems.
“Their families must also be shielded from harm, both during their tenure and long after they had left office. If criminals sense that the state lacks the will to protect its most critical functionaries, impunity will reign supreme, and the nation’s institutions will collapse under the weight of fear and intimidation,” the group further stated
Afenifere said any threat to Adeyeye’s life would not be tolerated, adding that Nigeria could afford to close its eyes while purveyors of deadly drugs roam freely, flooding the country with poison.
