Court jails South African woman for 25 years for importing 5.75kg of heroin into Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court sentenced 38-year-old South African national Will Jessica Ann to 25 years in prison for smuggling 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.
The drug was imported through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Ann pleaded guilty to the charge during her arraignment on July 6, after which she was brought before the court by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
During the sentencing on Thursday, Justice Egwuatu emphasized that Nigerian law operates independently of emotional considerations. Although Ann appeared in court accompanied by her three-year-old child and expressed remorse while pleading for leniency, the judge maintained that the rule of law must take precedence.
The court noted that Ann had previously confessed to the crime in an extrajudicial statement prior to her guilty plea. Justice Egwuatu indicated that the legal framework supports a conviction following a plea of guilty. Consequently, he formally convicted her of the offense.
