A Nigerian woman living in the United Kingdom, identified as @shakels95 on TikTok, has shared a startling account of how a simple language misunderstanding led to her being detained by the police. The incident, which took place at a local pharmacy, stemmed from the different meanings attributed to the word “drugs” in Nigeria and the UK.
In a TikTok video, she narrated how she was purchasing medications for her husband when an innocent phone conversation resulted in her unexpected arrest. Speaking in Nigerian slang, she used the term “drugs” instead of “medications,” unaware that people nearby interpreted it differently. Her casual mention of “drugs” raised suspicions, leading to a police intervention.
“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. 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,” she recounted in her video.
Shortly after her phone call, officers arrived at the scene, acting on a report of suspected illegal drug activity. Despite her best efforts to explain that she was referring to common over-the-counter medications such as Ibuprofen, the authorities remained skeptical at first.
“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,” she added.
The misunderstanding highlights how cultural differences in language usage can have unintended consequences, particularly in sensitive environments such as pharmacies or law enforcement interactions. While the term “drugs” is commonly used in Nigeria to refer to both legal and illegal substances, in the UK, it predominantly carries an association with illicit narcotics.
Many Nigerians and immigrants in the UK have since weighed in on the matter, with some sharing their own experiences of similar misunderstandings in foreign countries. The video has sparked discussions about the importance of cultural awareness and the need for immigrants to familiarize themselves with local terminologies to avoid miscommunication.
For now, @shakels95 is relieved that the ordeal is behind her, but her experience serves as a lesson on how a single word can lead to unexpected consequences in a foreign country.