Tragedy struck at a Federal High Court sitting in Benin on Tuesday as a 52-year old woman, identified as Titilayo, slumped and died a few minutes after she was arraigned.

The deceased, who was arrested by the Edo State Task Force and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), was accused of peddling a substance believed to be a hard drug.

The deceased suspect was said to have been in custody for close to three months before she was brought to the court on Tuesday.

Witnesses familiar with her matter said that the deceased had been experiencing health challenges while in the NDLEA custody with little or no medical attention.

One of the witnesses, who was in the court for another matter, said that when she drew the attention of one of the anti-drug agency personnel to the deceased’s condition in the court, the officer was nonchalant.

The witness, who pleaded anonymity, added that when the deceased collapsed, the NDLEA paid no attention, as he was of the opinion that the deceased accused was faking illness.

“Even when her matter was called and she did not respond, the NDLEA officer was still saying that the woman (deceased) was pretending.

“By the time an NDLEA officer made an effort to lift her up, she was already cold, completely dead.

“he woman’s son went berserk when he discovered that his mother was dead”, the witness further said.

However, Edo NDLEA commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, denied the allegations of negligence on the part of his men as the cause of the death.

Ofoyeju said there was nothing to suggest the deceased was not physically fit to stand trial when he was being taken to the court.

According to the NDLEA boss, “It is not true what they are saying. She was arraigned in court (sic) . There was no issue that she was not physically fit.

“She personally walked to the car, got to the court and came down by herself. What happened is not something you can start trading blame on.

“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 a 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,” Ofoyeju explained. (Nigerian Tribune)