Court jails South African woman 25 years in Abuja for importing heroin into Nigeria

Abuja's Federal High Court has sentenced Ann Jessica Will, a South African woman, to 25 years imprisonment for importing 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria. The judgment was handed down on Thursday, following her conviction on two counts of criminal charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Will was apprehended by NDLEA agents on July 6 at the Abuja International Airport during the arrival of flight QR1433 from Doha.

In the first count, Will admitted to conspiring with Jan Coenraad De Jager, a South African male who remains at large. During the sentencing, the court considered the defendant's guilty plea which, in criminal trials, serves as conclusive proof of the offence. Despite the prosecution's emphasis on the drug's street value, the judge decided not to impose the maximum sentence, citing Will's status as a first-time offender.

The judge noted that Will was the first offender in this case and acknowledged her lack of prior criminal history. The sentences for both counts will run concurrently. Earlier, Will's defense lawyer had appealed for leniency, stating that the defendant is a mother with no family in Nigeria to care for her child. Will also expressed regret, claiming she was unaware of the drug's presence in the bags she was carrying, handed to her by her fiancé's acquaintance.

The court convicted her under Section 14 of the NDLEA Act 2004 for conspiracy and Section 11(a) for unlawful importation of heroin.