The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has advocated for the introduction of the death penalty for product counterfeiters, warning that illicit manufacturing networks will otherwise continue their dangerous operations with impunity.

Onanuga made this assertion in response to a high-profile enforcement operation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which uncovered an unhygienic, illegal alcohol-refilling factory operating in Aba, Abia State.

During the raid, NAFDAC officials seized massive quantities of fake packaging materials, industrial ethanol drums, chemical concoctions, and equipment valued at over ₦500 million, while noting that counterfeiting syndicates continue to pose severe public health hazards across the country.

Stressing that current penalties fail to serve as an adequate deterrent against such life-threatening crimes, Onanuga’s remarks align with intensified regulatory crackdowns by federal authorities to purge fake food, drugs, and beverages from Nigerian markets.