Dare Babalola
In the midst of escalating drama between Senator Ned Nwoko and his wife Regina Daniels, a legal expert, Oluwatodimu Ige, popularly known as Oga The Lawyer, has revealed why the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) cannot arrest the actress despite her husband’s allegations of drug use.
The NDLEA is responsible for enforcing drug laws, preventing and combating drug abuse, investigating and prosecuting drug-related crimes, and seizing and destroying illicit drugs, making it the primary agency in Nigeria tasked with tackling drug-related issues.
The crisis between Regina Daniels and her husband, Senator Ned Nwoko, began when Regina posted a viral video accusing Nwoko of domestic violence. In response, Nwoko alleged that Regina was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and claimed that her friends and family members, including her brothers Sammy and Lawrence, were enabling her addiction by supplying her with drugs.
He stated that despite medical warnings, these individuals would often sneak into the house with the same substances Regina was being treated for, sabotaging her recovery.
Nwoko specifically named actresses Uche Montana and Sonia Uche as among those allegedly undermining Regina’s rehabilitation and encouraging her drug abuse.
Regina, in her response alleged that Senator Nwoko was the one who introduced her to drugs for his own satisfaction. She claimed he would often want her to be “high” because it made her “wild and romantic” in his eyes.
Despite the public nature of the claims and the purported evidence surfacing online, the agency seems to be taking no action, sparking questions about its stance on high-profile cases.
Some netizens have since expressed disappointment in the agency for its alarming silence in the case despite claims by the federal lawmaker.
However, Oga The Lawyer, who spoke exclusively to NEWSTELLER, said the NDLEA cannot arrest or prosecute the actress and others accused by Senator Nwoko based solely on the lawmaker’s allegations of drug abuse.
The law expert explained that allegations do not equal evidence, and the NDLEA requires credible proof, such as possession, positive test results, or verifiable evidence, before taking action.
He explained, “Allegations don’t equal evidence. The NDLEA cannot arrest or prosecute anyone just because somebody made a claim in public, the law requires credible evidence such as possession, a positive test, or other verifiable proof before they can act.
“Once that has been established, the NDLEA will also work with the petition, if someone petitions them, then they can act. But as it stands, technically, nobody has brought a petition to them, she has not been caught in the act so they can choose to look away because it is an allegation from her husband.
“The NDLEA and whoever is in charge of their media can claim that they’ve not seen that story.”
The lawyer also discussed the admissibility of videos as evidence, stating that videos can be compelling proof of a crime if they are not doctored or artificially created.
However, for a video to be used as evidence against Regina Daniels, it would need to be proven that she is smoking an illicit substance in the video.
“Most times, celebrities who smoke on TV, who smoke on social media, who do all these things, they claim that they are not smoking an illicit substance that they smoke cigarettes or tobacco. So, the onus whoever is going to be attaching that video as evidence to establish concretely, without any iota of doubt, and to a reasonable extent, that what she’s smoking is actually an illicit substance,” Oga The Lawyer said.
