A federal high court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Adrienne Munju, a Canadian woman, to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking.

The court convicted Munju after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Operatives of the NDLEA arrested the convict on October 3 at terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, during the inward clearance of inbound passengers on a KLM flight at the airport’s ‘D’ arrival hall.

Narcotic agents found 74 parcels of Canadian loud, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20 kilograms in the possession of the woman.

Munju claimed she was recruited to traffic the illicit consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.

The 41-year-old said she took the offer to be able to raise money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada.

At the court on Wednesday, the Canadian pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to her.

After the defendant’s pleas, Abu Ibrahim, the NDLEA prosecutor, called a witness, Angela Mba, an assistant superintendent of narcotics at the agency.

Mba narrated how the Canadian was arrested with the illicit drugs, after which she tendered some exhibits, which include two suitcases that were used in concealing the drugs, her Canadian passport, confessional statements, laboratory test analysis reports, and samples of the illicit drug. All the items were admitted as exhibits 1 to 13.

Deinde Dipeolu, the presiding judge, convicted the defendant after reviewing the facts and the exhibits.

In his allocutus before the court, Benson Ndakara, counsel to the defendant, pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convict.

“We plead for leniency on behalf of the convict, my lord,” Ndakara said.

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

After listening to the allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, Dipeolu sentenced Adrienne Munju to six years in prison on count one and five years on count two.

The judge, however, gave the convict an option of a N50 million fine on each of the two counts, amounting to N100 million.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested two businessmen – Ihejirika Emmanuel and Iwuagwu Victory – at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos for drug trafficking.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the agency also arrested Usman Olami, a Canada-based nurse, for attempting to import parcels of loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, through the airport.

“Ihejirika who frequents Thailand from where he claims to be importing fish into Nigeria was arrested on Tuesday 15th October 2024 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” the statement reads.

“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport on Thursday 17th October intercepted a 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight. His body scan revealed the ingestion of illicit drugs. When he was put under observation, he excreted a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams.

“Meanwhile, a Nigerian Canadian nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami was on 4th October arrested by NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Air France passengers from Toronto, Canada via Paris. During a search of her luggage, a total of 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 35.70kg were recovered from her.”

Babafemi added that a total of 162,351 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted from two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos by NDLEA operatives during a joint examination of two containers with men of the Customs service and other security agencies on October 15, 2024.

“On the same day, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the operatives arrested one Andrew Joseph Anoriode with 3kg methamphetamine and 1.90kg cannabis along, while 241kg of the same substance was recovered at Gbaji, Badagry area of the state,” he said.

“A suspected meth cook, Agbeiboh Oscar, was nabbed the same day at Abule Osun with 265grams of methamphetamine and different quantities of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and others.

“Similarly, at One Port Complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, not less 7,200,000 pills of Royal 225mg Tapentadol and Carisoprodol worth N3.6 billion in street value were seized from a watch-listed container from India.

“In the same container, 780 cartons of chlorphenamine containing 15,600,000 pills of the opioid, were also recovered.

“From two other watch-listed containers equally searched at the port in Onne, a total of 337,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N2,359,000,000 were recovered from them on Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th October.

“This brings the total value of the seized Tapentadol, Carisoprodol and Codeine consignments at the two seaports to N7,095,457,000.”

The agency added that in Edo state, a raid at Illushi forest in Esan south-east LGA led to the destruction of 10,590.36kg cannabis spread on 4.236144 hectares of farmland.

“65 years old Benson Upuoni, and 35 years old Sunday Nwaeboyi were arrested in connection with the operation,” Babafemi said.

“In Bauchi state, Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi, a suspect, was arrested along Bauchi-Jos road with 76,600 pills of tramadol concealed in false compartments of his Toyota Sienna vehicle.

“In Ondo state, the operatives arrested three suspects – Goddey Obizuo; Samuel Aniete; and Kuffrey Aniete – at Afo village where 672kg cannabis sativa was seized from them.”

Babafemi said the operatives are relentlessly continuing their war against drug abuse (WADA) and are taking sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among other places.

Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives, saying their efforts are a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.

The Kano State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced it has secured multiple convictions in a single day.

This was disclosed by the Public Relations Officer of the NDLEA Kano State Command, Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics, Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, in a statement issued on Thursday.

Maigatari highlighted that the Agency’s recent convictions demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the rule of law and a strict zero-tolerance policy towards drug offences.

“The Agency secured multiple convictions in one day, underscoring our resolve to maintain law and order and rid society of drug traffickers,” he said.

Among those convicted was a 25-year-old, Ibrahim Tahir, who was found guilty on three separate drug-related charges. Each count carries a three-year sentence, to be served consecutively, resulting in a total of nine years in prison.

In another case, James Temitope Ajayi, a 40-year-old ex-convict and notorious distributor of Cannabis Sativa, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for trafficking illicit substances. Maigatari noted that Temitope’s conviction was particularly significant given his history of cross-regional drug trafficking.

The NDLEA PRO further revealed that the convictions have effectively disrupted a major drug supply chain, helping to protect communities from the dangers of illicit substances.

“These convictions are part of our consistent efforts to disrupt major supply chains and safeguard communities from the devastating impact of drug abuse,” Maigatari added.

Additionally, two other offenders, Adekunle Sunday Adebayo, 40, and Yahaya Mamuda, 35, were each sentenced to six years in prison for drug-related crimes.

The court ruled that none of the convicts were given the option of a fine, sending a strong message to potential offenders about the seriousness of drug-related crimes.

Maigatari emphasised that the swift administration of justice in these cases reinforces the message that crime does not pay.

“By holding offenders accountable for their actions, Justice Shuaibu is contributing to a safer, more just society,” he noted.

The State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr. CN AI Ahmad, lauded the support of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), whose backing has been instrumental in achieving these milestones. Ahmad also expressed gratitude to the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, for his dedication to combating drug abuse in the state.

Ahmad further acknowledged the crucial role played by Justice Shuaibu and the Command’s prosecution and legal services unit in securing the convictions, adding that the NDLEA remains committed to upholding the law and ensuring a drug-free society.