A 41-year-old Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, was convicted and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing 35.20 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa into Nigeria.

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu handed down the verdict, offering Munju an option of N100m fine. Munju pleaded guilty to the charges, stating she was recruited online to traffic the substance for 10,000 Canadian dollars.

Her counsel, Benson Ndakara, pleaded for leniency, citing remorse and the absence of relatives in Nigeria. Justice Dipeolu sentenced Munju to six years on count one and five years on count two, with the option of N50m fine per count, to run concurrently.

The counsel for Munju, Benson Ndakara, leading Dennis Warri, Kate Igbo and others pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convict.

“We plead for leniency on behalf of the convict, my Lord.

The convict pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity by not wasting the precious time of the court and has been very remorseful,” he said.

However in her words she stated that

“She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing Master’s degree programme in Canada.”