The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, to 25 years’ imprisonment for unlawfully importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to the offence.
Ann was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while arriving in Nigeria aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha.
The NDLEA said the arrest was made during an inward clearance of passengers in July. The woman was travelling with her three-year-old son at the time.
Ann was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in August, where she pleaded guilty to importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria on July 6.
Delivering judgment, Justice Egwuatu said the defendant had admitted to committing the offence in her extrajudicial statement before entering her guilty plea in court.
The judge noted that under established law, a conviction follows a guilty plea where the requirements for such a conviction are met.
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The court consequently convicted Ann on the charges.
Following the conviction, the prosecution urged the court to consider the value of heroin in determining the appropriate sentence, stating that one kilogramme of the substance was worth about N18 million.
Ann, however, pleaded for leniency, asking the court to temper justice with mercy.
She told the court that she was remorseful and promised not to engage in such an offence again. She also claimed that she was unaware that the bag contained illicit drugs.
After considering the submissions from both sides and Ann’s plea for mercy, Justice Egwuatu stressed that criminal conduct attracts legal consequences.
The judge said “crime does not pay” and emphasised that Nigerian law could not be swayed by emotions.
Justice Egwuatu sentenced Ann to 15 years’ imprisonment on Count One and 25 years on Count Two.
The court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the longer 25-year sentence will effectively determine the period of imprisonment, subject to any applicable legal developments.
The judge further ordered that the seized heroin should be destroyed if the convict does not appeal within the period prescribed by law.