The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, to 25 years in prison for trafficking 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing the illicit drug into Nigeria.
Ann was arrested on July 6 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while arriving from Doha on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433. She was travelling with her three-year-old son at the time of her arrest.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had earlier arraigned her before the court, where she admitted importing the heroin.
During the sentencing proceedings, the prosecution urged the court to consider the street value of the seized drug, stating that one kilogramme of heroin is worth about ₦18 million.
Ann pleaded with the court for leniency, saying she was remorseful and did not know that the bag contained illegal drugs. She also promised never to engage in such an act again.
However, Justice Egwuatu said a guilty plea ordinarily leads to conviction and stressed that the law could not be influenced by emotions.
The judge sentenced Ann to 15 years’ imprisonment on Count 1 and 25 years on Count 2, directing that both sentences run concurrently.
The court further ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if Ann does not appeal the judgment within the period allowed by law.
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