A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 41-year-old Canadian national, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years in prison for smuggling 35.20 kilograms of cannabis into Nigeria. Munju was convicted on Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, who presided over the case, also gave Munju the option of paying a fine of N100 million in lieu of serving the full jail term. The charges against her stemmed from the importation of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, into the country without legal authorization.
According to NDLEA prosecutor Abu Ibrahim, the arrest occurred on October 3, 2024, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Munju was caught during routine passenger clearance after arriving on a KLM flight from Canada. During a search of her luggage, authorities discovered 74 parcels of the illegal substance concealed in two of her three bags.
The prosecution stated that Munju’s actions violated Section 20(1)(a) and were punishable under Section 20(2)(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Following her guilty plea, the court heard evidence from a prosecution witness and examined the exhibits presented by the NDLEA, which led to her conviction.
Munju’s defense counsel, Benson Ndakara, pleaded for leniency, arguing that the convicted woman had cooperated fully and expressed deep remorse. Ndakara explained that Munju had been deceived into smuggling the drugs in exchange for 10,000 Canadian dollars, which she intended to use for her master’s degree tuition in Canada. The defense added that Munju had no family or acquaintances in Nigeria and had been abandoned by those she trusted.
In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Munju to six years on the first count and five years on the second count, with the sentences to run concurrently. Alternatively, she was offered the option to pay a N50 million fine for each count.
