A 52-year-old suspected illicit drugs peddler identified as Mrs Titilayo Akindele has collapsed and died during trial at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.
DAILY POST reports that the incident occurred on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
The deceased was facing trial in a suit instituted against her by the Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The development threw the court into pandemonium as family members, lawyers and members of the public scampered in shock at the sudden incident.
The deceased was reportedly arrested in January 2026 by operatives of NDLEA in the state with assistance from a church member identified as IK, over the possession of Loud, an illicit hard drug.
A son of the deceased identified as Samuel Akinsola said his mother had complained about ill health throughout her detention and court appearances, repeatedly requesting medical attention.
Akinsola said the family has been begging the NDLEA to grant her mother bail or arraign her in court, which they allegedly refused.
The young Akinsola, who was in tears, alleged that officials of NDLEA failed to bring medical reports of her mother when she was brought to court on Monday, March 30, 2026.
He said the failure prompted the court to adjourn the case to Tuesday, March 31, 2026, when she collapsed and died while waiting for her case to be called.
Speaking on the incident, lawyers and eyewitnesses at the court premises said the woman collapsed during the sitting.
They, however, accused the NDLEA officers of abandoning and refusing to render medical assistance to her, as well as attempting to leave the deceased in the courtroom.
Operatives of the Edo State Police Command and NDLEA officers later arrived at the court premises with an ambulance from Edo Central Hospital to evacuate and deposit the corpse at the mortuary.
Reacting, the State Commander of NDLEA, Dr Mitchell Ofoyeju, who described the incident as unfortunate, however, 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.
According to him, “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 for.
“She was arrested by the Edo State task force and transferred to the NDLEA. She was arrested for selling Loud”, he said.
Ofoyeju also defended his officers against the allegation of abandoning the corpse of the deceased in the court and failure to render help to her when she collapsed.
“When she collapsed, it attracted a crowd and there were other suspects. The officers had to secure other accused persons to avoid them mixing with the crowd to escape.
“The mandate of the NDLEA is to protect lives from the dangers of illicit drugs. This is unfortunate. My condolences to the family. Our desire is for any drug suspect or accused to be well, healthy and complete their trials”, he added.
52-year-old suspected illicit drug peddler collapses, dies in Edo court
