45-Year-Old Man D+es After Alleged T%rture In NDLEA Custody, Family Accuses Agency Of Blocking Autopsy

A 45-year-old man, Ifeanyi Ugwu, has d+ed after allegedly being t%rtured while in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Enugu State, with his family accusing the agency of frustrating efforts to conduct an autopsy.

Accord to reports, Ugwu was arrested in Ogbute community on April 20, 2026, during a market raid and accused of possessing 1kg of c@nnabis sativa. He was allegedly held for months without trial and later d+ed in custody after reported severe b+atings.

A relative said: “He was arrested by men of the NDLEA in Enugu, and after b+ating him, they threw him inside the cell until he began to vomit bl%od,” a relative of the deceased man told SaharaReporters.

“They arrested him with Indian h£mp and kept him at their station for months without letting the family know. They b+at him seriously and inj¥red his heart, then threw him in a cell until he began to vomit bl%od. That’s when they started taking him from hospital to hospital until he sl¥mped and d+ed,” a source said.

“After he was d+ad, that was when they started looking for his family. They never told us he was d+ad until we went to the 82 Division in Enugu. That was when we found out he was d+ad.”

“They lied to us, saying he had tuberculosis and was coughing up bl%od. He wasn’t alive to tell his own side of the story. They b+at him badly. If you look at the pictures of his corpse, you can see how much they b+at him,” the source added.

“All efforts by the family to have an autopsy carried out were thwarted by the NDLEA.” 

NDLEA Enugu Commander Owoputi Adekunle is yet to respond to messages, text, or calls concerning the incident.