A 52-year-old woman, identified as Titilayo, slumped and died minutes after she was arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City on Tuesday.
The deceased was reportedly arrested by the Edo State Task Force and subsequently handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for prosecution.
She was said to have been apprehended for allegedly selling a substance suspected to be a hard drug.
Witnesses at the court blamed the NDLEA for alleged negligence, claiming the woman appeared unwell when she was brought before the court.
A source said the suspect had been in custody of the NDLEA since January 2026 without trial.
A son of the deceased, identified as Samuel, said they have been begging the agency to charge her in court.
He said she was to be arraigned on Monday, adding that she collapsed in court and died when she was eventually arraigned on Tuesday.
Edo State Commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, denied allegations of negligence on the part of his men as the cause of the death.