By our reporter 17.9.2026
A South African woman Will Jessica Ann has been sentenced to a 25-year jail time for smuggled 5.75kg heroin into Nigeria.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja passed the sentenced after she was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in August. Ann was arrested with her three-year-old son at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on July 6, 2026. She pleaded guilty to committing offence.
But presiding judge Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu passed the sentence on Thursday saying that Nigerian law does not respect emotions.
He added that the law is settled that a conviction follows a plea of guilty and subsequently convicted her of the offence.
Following the conviction, the prosecution urged the court to consider the street value of heroin in sentencing the defendant, stating that one kilogramme of the drug is worth about N18 million.
Ann was given an opportunity to speak in mitigation. She promised never to engage in such an act again, expressed remorse and said she did not know there were illicit drugs in the bags.
After hearing from both parties and considering the defendant’s plea for leniency, the judge said, “crime does not pay” and that the law is not influenced by “emotions.”