A Nigerian woman residing in the United Kingdom has shared an experience of being arrested and detained by the police due to a language misunderstanding involving Nigerian English.
The woman, who narrated her ordeal in a viral video, explained that she had gone to a pharmacy on Sunday to purchase medication for her sick husband.
However, while on the phone updating him about the purchase, she repeatedly used the word “drugs,” which caught the attention of people nearby.
“I got arrested last night and detained,” she recounted. “I went to the pharmacy to get some drugs for my husband. After buying them, I was on the phone, saying, ‘I got the drugs, I got two drugs for you, so when I get home, you’ll use them and be strong.'”
Unknown to her, the repeated mention of “drugs” raised suspicion among those around her, prompting a police intervention.
“Before I knew it, the police arrived and demanded to know where the drugs were. I was confused and asked, ‘What drugs?’ I then showed them what I had bought—just fever tablets and ibuprofen,” she said.
The officers, however, insisted that she was referring to illegal substances, pointing out that the correct term in the UK is “medication,” not “drugs.”
Despite her explanations, she was taken to the police station, interrogated, and even had her home searched before being released.
“I called my husband and told him what happened, but they didn’t believe me. They only let me go after searching my house in the middle of the night,” she said.
She expressed frustration over the incident, warning fellow Nigerians abroad to be cautious with their use of Nigerian English.
“Guys, let’s be careful with this Nigerian English before it gets us into trouble. I didn’t know using ‘drugs’ instead of ‘medication’ would cause such a big problem. Now I know, and I’ll watch what I say from now on.”
