Nigerian medicine hawkers could face up to 15 years in prison under a sweeping new bill that passed its second reading in the Senate on Wednesday, as lawmakers moved to overhaul the country's outdated framework for tackling counterfeit drugs and unsafe food.
The Counterfeit Medical Products, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2026 was sponsored by Kwara North Senator Umar Suleiman.
It would repeal the existing law and replace it with a tougher legal regime designed to confront modern threats including online drug sales, cross-border trafficking, sophisticated counterfeiting networks and organised crime.
Suleiman told the Red Chamber that the current law had been overtaken by the scale and complexity of the problem.
"This bill criminalises the production, importation, manufacture, transportation, distribution, sale, possession and facilitation of counterfeit medical products, fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods.
"It also outlaws the production or possession of counterfeit labels, wrappers, packaging materials and equipment used in the manufacture of fake products," he said.
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The bill explicitly bans the sale and hawking of medicines at unauthorised locations, covering open markets, motor parks, roadside stalls, buses, ferries and unlicensed online platforms.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio set out the scale of the proposed punishments. "Offenders risk up to 15 years' imprisonment, heavy fines, compensation to victims or their families, sanctions against corporate organisations and their directors, as well as forfeiture of assets linked to the offences," he said.
The bill also expands the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) enforcement powers, authorising the agency to deploy modern product-tracking technologies, establish national and state task forces, inspect facilities, seize counterfeits, arrest suspects, seal premises and step up surveillance at ports of entry.
According to the chamber, the Federal High Court would be granted exclusive jurisdiction over offences under the law, with accelerated trial provisions to speed up prosecution.
The bill received broad support from senators, though some called for clarity on how it would interact with the existing NAFDAC Act, a question Akpabio said would be addressed at the committee stage.
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