Titilayo Akindele, a 52-year-old woman accused of peddling hard drugs, collapsed and died during court proceedings at the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, on Tuesday, 31 March. She had been arraigned the previous day but the trial did not proceed after she complained of poor health. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) prosecuted her case, alleging she was involved in the sale of a hard drug known as Loud. Akindele had reportedly been in NDLEA custody since January, nearly three months before her arraignment. Lawyers present in court said she appeared severely unwell, unable to sit or stand, and had previously requested medical attention while in detention. One lawyer claimed she collapsed moments after her case was mentioned, prompting attempts to revive her, but she was later declared dead. Another lawyer alleged an NDLEA officer dismissed her condition as pretence, even after she stopped responding. The court adjourned all cases for the day, and her body was taken to a mortuary. NDLEA's state commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, denied negligence, stating Akindele had walked unaided into court and showed no signs of ill health before collapsing.
The image of a woman collapsing in court while an NDLEA officer assumes she is faking illness speaks volumes about the agency's culture under Mitchell Ofoyeju. If Titilayo Akindele was indeed unwell for months in custody without medical care, then her death is not just tragic but preventable. The claim that she walked into court unaided does not erase the broader pattern of detainees suffering in silence. For Nigerians, this incident underscores how the justice system often treats suspects as already guilty, unworthy of basic care until proven otherwise.
