NDLEA Allegedly Extorts ₦150K from Corps Member Over Pain Medication Arrest

A corps member was allegedly arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after purchasing pain relief medication for a football injury and was reportedly forced to pay ₦150,000 for his release....CONTINUE READING>>>

The victim’s brother took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the incident, explaining that the corps member had sustained a leg injury while playing football in Calabar. After purchasing the medication from a pharmacy, NDLEA officers searched his bag, found the drugs, and accused him of possessing a controlled substance.

According to the post, the officers handcuffed him and detained him for three hours, demanding ₦150,000 for his release while refusing to accept a bank transfer. Instead, they took him to a POS center to withdraw cash. The corps member, unaware that the medication was classified as a controlled drug, was left stranded until his family raised the money for his release.

The full account shared by the victim’s brother read:

“My brother played football in Calabar and got injured during the game. He went to a chemist, where he was given some tablets. On his way back today, @ndlea_nigeria officers searched his bag, found the tablets, and claimed one was a controlled drug. So they took him!”

“We had to pay ₦150K to bail him out. These @ndlea_nigeria officers handcuffed him and even asked the driver of the Onitsha South bus he boarded to leave him behind. He was stranded for three hours while we struggled to raise the funds.”

“They refused a bank transfer and instead took him to a POS center. The only reason they settled for ₦150K was because his Opay account couldn’t withdraw more in a day.”

“And guess what? He was wearing his NYSC cap and had his ID card on him the whole time. Right now, he’s still trying to reach Awka. The last time he called, he was in Ugep, heading to Abakaliki.”

“This is pure extortion and abuse of power. No one should have to go through this, especially not an innocent corps member. We need to hold these officers accountable. If anyone knows the best way to take legal action or report this, please reach out.”

The post quickly gained attention, with many Nigerians expressing their outrage over the alleged extortion and calling for accountability from the NDLEA. Some social media users shared their own experiences, while others questioned the agency’s approach.

@Teddie_vee_ commented: “This is crazy! Even with his ID and the fact that he’s a Corps member, it’s clear they were just after the money and forgot their real job is to protect, not to oppress.”

@Wire__7 shared a similar experience: “I’ve experienced this same thing back in 2018, I was traveling back to school (Unical) when NDLEA stopped our bus and searched me, my bags… saw nothing, they asked if I smoke weed I said ‘No I don’t’ till they decided to search my phone and saw weed pictures on my phone.”

@enyola pointed out: “You guys got scammed. If he was indeed in possession of a controlled drug, they will be more interested in where it was prescribed to him.”

@uchennapaul added: “It is very likely he had tramadol on him. It should not be taken unless it was prescribed by a doctor. A hospital once gave me tramadol and I was not bothered to take it home because I knew that once it is from a hospital I didn’t break any law.”

@Oluya_of_lagos questioned the process: “Ok let’s assume it was a controlled drug, why not let him take them to the place he got it instead of arresting people buying and leaving who is selling??”

@Mickyiv4 criticized the situation: “The criminality that goes on in this country from different security apparatus is crazy. The 150k they charged him & collected is for what exactly? Is it fine for the offense of carrying a controlled drug? Did they enlighten him or document him? Did they give him a receipt? Crazy.”

The incident has sparked a wider conversation on social media about alleged misconduct by law enforcement agencies and the need for better transparency and accountability in handling such cases.