The 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 delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruling that the law must be applied without being influenced by emotions.
Ann was arrested in July at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after arriving from Doha on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433. She was travelling with her three-year-old son when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) discovered the illicit substance during passenger clearance.
The NDLEA later charged her before the court, where she pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing the 5.75kg of heroin into Nigeria on July 6.
During the proceedings, the prosecution told the court that one kilogramme of heroin was worth about N18 million and urged the judge to consider the value of the seized substance when determining the sentence.
Before the court, Ann pleaded for leniency and asked the judge to temper justice with mercy. She expressed remorse and claimed that she was unaware that the bag contained illegal drugs.
However, Justice Egwuatu noted that the defendant had also admitted to the offence in her extra-judicial statement before entering her guilty plea.
The judge held that where an accused person pleads guilty, the law provides for conviction after the necessary facts are established.
Justice Egwuatu subsequently convicted Ann and sentenced her to 15 years imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count.
The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning she will serve a maximum of 25 years in prison.
The judge also ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if Ann does not appeal the judgment within the period allowed by law.
In his remarks, Justice Egwuatu stressed that criminal offences must be treated according to the law, stating that “crime does not pay” and that the law is not guided by emotions.
The judgment followed the prosecution of Ann by the NDLEA over the importation of the illicit drug into Nigeria.
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