Nigeria: How I Got Arrested for Saying 'Drugs' Instead of 'Medications' - UK-Based Nigerian Lady

4 February 2025

A Nigerian lady living in the United Kingdom (UK), identified as @shakels95, has shared her shocking experience of being arrested due to a simple misunderstanding of Nigerian jargon.

According to her, she had gone to a pharmacy to purchase medications for her husband when an innocent remark during a phone conversation led to her unexpected arrest.

While speaking to her husband on the phone, she casually used the word "drugs" instead of "medications," unaware that people around her at the pharmacy misinterpreted it.

Moments later, the police arrived and took her into custody.

Recalling the incident in a TikTok video, she said, "I got arrested yesterday, last night, and got detained. Now, I am going home. Story time. So, yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to get some drugs for my husband.

Nigerian living in the UK narrates how she got locked up because of her Nigerian English pic.twitter.com/saJK8HsPi3-- Dami' Adenuga (@DAMIADENUGA) February 3, 2025

"Then, when I got it finish, I was on call to say, 'Ah, I got the drugs, I got two drugs for you. So, when I get home, when you use it, you are going to be strong.'

"Ok. Not knowing people closer to me were like, 'drugs, drugs, drugs,' but I wasn't bothered 'cause I felt I didn't do anything wrong. Before I knew it, the police came. When they came, they were like, 'we heard there is drugs.'

"And I said what drugs? This (displaying the medications she got) was literally what I was referring to as drugs, Ibuprofen, for my husband because he wasn't feeling well..."

Despite her attempts to explain the situation, the police refused to take her word for it.

She revealed that they detained her at the station and even searched her home in a bid to verify their claims.

"They took me to the police station. They detained me. They asked me questions..." she added.

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