Outrage as female suspect collapses, dies in court in Edo

By Jethro Ibileke

There was pandemonium at the Federal High Court in Benin City, Edo State, on Tuesday, when a 52-year-old woman, identified simply as Titilayo, collapsed and died shortly after being arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The sudden death of the suspect sparked outrage, as her relatives accused the anti-narcotic agency.

It was gathered that the deceased was arrested by the Edo State Task Force and subsequently handed over to the NDLEA.

She was accused of selling substances suspected to be hard drugs and had been held in custody since January 2026 without trial.

Relatives who spoke in tears at the premises of the court blamed the NDLEA for Titilayo’s death, alleging that she had been in their custody without receiving adequate medical care.

They added that Titilayo had been ill before her arraignment in court.

There was outrage by angry crowd who accused operatives of NDLEA of initially abandoning the lifeless body of the suspect in the courtroom following the tragic incident.

However, the Edo State Commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, in a swift reaction, denied allegations of negligence on the part of his operatives.

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.

“She was arrested by the Edo State task force and transferred to the NDLEA. She was arrested for selling Loud.

“What happened was a mistaken identity. When she collapsed, it attracted crowd and there were other suspects. The officers had to secure other accused persons to avoid their dispersion with the crowd. The crowd thought my men were running away. My men were not attacked.”

Meanwhile, the incident has fueled public anger as many called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of the suspect and the alleged negligence by operatives of NDLEA.