A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, to 25 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to the offence brought against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The prosecution told the court that the seized heroin was worth about N103.5 million, based on an estimated street value of N18 million per kilogramme.
Ann was arrested on July 6, 2026, during an inward clearance operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
She had arrived in Nigeria aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha and was travelling with her three-year-old son when NDLEA operatives discovered the illicit substance.
The agency subsequently charged her before the Federal High Court, where she admitted unlawfully importing the 5.75kg of heroin into the country.
In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu said the defendant had also admitted committing the offence in her extra-judicial statement before entering her guilty plea in court.
The judge held that the law was settled that a conviction follows where an accused person enters a guilty plea to a criminal charge.
Following her conviction, the prosecution urged the court to consider the enormous quantity and value of the heroin in determining the appropriate sentence.
Ann, however, pleaded with the court for leniency, claiming that she was remorseful and did not know that the bag contained illicit drugs.
She also promised the court that she would never engage in drug trafficking again.
But Justice Egwuatu said the law could not be applied based on emotions, stressing that “crime does not pay.”
The court sentenced Ann to 15 years’ imprisonment on Count One and 25 years on Count Two.
Justice Egwuatu ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
The judge further ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if the convict fails to appeal within the period prescribed by law.
The case was prosecuted by the NDLEA as part of its efforts to curb the trafficking of hard drugs through Nigeria’s international airports.