South African bags 25 years for importing heroin to Nigeria

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Federal High Court, Abuja has sentenced a South African woman, Ann Jessica Will, to 25 years’ imprisonment for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence yesterday shortly after convicting Will on a two-count charge filed against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Will was arrested by NDLEA operatives on July 6, 2026, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, during the inward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.

She was arraigned last month and pleaded guilty to both counts.

In count one, Will was charged with conspiracy under Section 14 of the NDLEA Act, 2004, alongside one Jan Coenraad De Jager, another South African national who is said to be at large.

The section prescribes a prison term of not less than 15 years and not more than 25 years.

In count two, she was charged with unlawful importation of the heroin under Section 11(a) of the same Act, which attracts a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Delivering judgment, Justice Egwuatu held that where a defendant pleads guilty, the burden of proof is relaxed, as the admission amounts to conclusive proof of the offence.

The judge said: “I have listened to the prosecution talk about the street value of the drug. I have also listened to the defence lawyer and the convict, and noted that she is a first-time offender. I am persuaded not to impose the maximum sentence.

“The defendant is hereby sentenced to 15 years on count one and 25 years on count two.”

The judge, however, ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.

Earlier, the convict’s lawyer had pleaded with the court for leniency, informing the judge that Will was a mother with no one in Nigeria to care for the infant she brought into the country.

Will also pleaded for mercy, claiming that she did not know the contents of the bags an acquaintance of her fiancé had handed over to her before her trip to Nigeria.

“I did not know there was drug in the bags. I have learnt my lesson,” she told the court.

The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026, alleged that Will and De Jager conspired to import the 5.75kg of heroin on July 6, 2026, at the arrival hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, without lawful authority.

The offence was said to be contrary to Section 14 of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

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