A 52-year-old woman identified simply as Titilayo on Tuesday slumped and died a few minutes after she was arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State.
The deceased was said to have been arrested by the Edo State Task Force and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
She was alleged to have been arrested for selling a substance suspected to be a hard drug.
Witnesses present in court blamed the NDLEA for being complicit in her death.
They alleged that the deceased did not appear well when she was brought to court.
However, the Edo Commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, denied allegations of negligence on the part of his men as the cause of the death.
Ofoyeju said there was nothing to suggest that the deceased was not physically fit to stand trial.
He said, “It is not true what they are saying. She was arraigned in court. There was no issue that she was not physically fit. She personally walked to the car, got to the court and came down herself.
What happened is not something you can start trading blame over.
“She was arrested by the Edo State Task Force and transferred to the NDLEA. She was arrested for selling ‘Loud’, a slang term for high-quality, pungent-smelling cannabis.
“What happened was a case of mistaken identity. When she collapsed, it attracted a crowd and there were other suspects. The officers had to secure other accused persons to prevent them from dispersing with the crowd. The crowd thought my men were running away. My men were not attacked.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Ofoyeju also condoled with the family.
“Our desire is for any drug suspect or accused person to be well, healthy and complete their trials.
“Honestly, we have no idea what killed her unless an autopsy is conducted. She walked into the courtroom by herself,” he added.
