A Nigerian woman living in the UK recently talked about her terrifying experience of being detained and imprisoned in a cell due to a miscommunication in her English.
On a well-known social media site, a post detailing the incident swiftly gained widespread attention.
In the post, the woman described how she had gone to the pharmacy to get her husband some medication and then called him.
Passersby heard her mention the drugs during the call. She did not give it much thought because she thought she had done nothing wrong.
The police, however, showed up a short while later and started interrogating her regarding the drugs she had brought up.
In her own words: “I got arrested yesterday and detained. Now I’m going home. Yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to get drugs for my husband. Afterward, I was on a call. I said, ‘I got the drugs, I got 2 drugs for you. When you use them, you’ll get stronger.’”
She continued, “I didn’t know people around me were reacting to the word ‘drugs.’ I wasn’t concerned because I didn’t think I had done anything wrong. But before I knew it, the police arrived and asked, ‘Where are the drugs?’ I was confused and responded, ‘What drugs?’”
As the post spread online, many concerned individuals took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the bizarre situation.
See some reactions below:
@TVNDEY: “My own be say , Why do Nigerians in Uk always make all their videos on the street . If i don’t know few people who live there , i would have thought people in diaspora just work and live on the street all their lives.”
@Mazimum_: “It’s a harsh reminder that even the little things we take for granted—like everyday vocabulary—can land someone in serious trouble. It’s unfortunate, but it also highlights the importance of understanding the nuances of language and how it’s interpreted in different places.”
@KennyNuga: “it’s not about the Nigerian English, it’s the profiling . Some People with our skin color put us in that situation due to their uncontrolled interest.”
@JosephAjuka: “Medication is drug. Drug is also medications. You’re correct, they are correct. I will only fault them for not taking cognizant of the fact that different people from diff countries are in the UK and each person has a particular term for various things or item.”
@hey_watever: “She was just racially profiled… doesn’t make sense!”
@DayoOjo: “There’s a chance that she spoke too loud on the phone. Sometimes Nigerians don’t know how to maintain quietness.”
@KRYPTTOPIA: “wow gotta be more concious with your choice of word then , given the environment.”
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Published by Ejoh Caleb
