A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman to concurrent prison terms after she pleaded guilty to importing 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.
Will Jessica Ann received 15 years’ imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count. Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning she will serve a maximum of 25 years rather than 40 years.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, 17 September, following her conviction on two counts of importing heroin and conspiring to import the same quantity into Nigeria.
The case was prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026.
Arrested at Abuja airport
Ann was arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on 6 July 2026 after arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.
According to an official statement from the NDLEA, its officers found 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75kg concealed inside two pieces of luggage.
The agency said Ann initially denied travelling with checked baggage. Officers subsequently matched the tags on the two bags to claim tags attached to her passport.
She then admitted that the bags belonged to her but claimed she had forgotten that she had checked them in, the NDLEA said.
The agency also alleged that she travelled with her three-year-old son as a cover to reduce suspicion and avoid detailed security checks. The child was not accused of any wrongdoing.
NDLEA alleges international connection
The NDLEA said intelligence gathered during its investigation linked Ann to an alleged transnational drug-trafficking operation involving Cambodia, South Africa, Nigeria and Hong Kong.
It identified her alleged husband or partner as Jan Coenraad De Jager, who was said to be based in Cambodia.
According to the agency, De Jager was arrested in Johannesburg on 27 July while allegedly attempting to transport 3.2kg of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
The allegation against De Jager is separate from Ann’s conviction. The NDLEA statement did not say that he had been tried or convicted over the alleged Johannesburg incident.
Why reports mention 40 years
Some reports have described Ann as receiving a 40-year prison sentence because the two terms imposed by the Court—15 years and 25 years—add up to 40 years.
However, the Court directed that the terms should run concurrently rather than consecutively.
Concurrent sentences are served at the same time. Therefore, Ann’s effective custodial term is 25 years, subject to any applicable legal provisions, sentence calculation or future appeal.
A consecutive order would have required her to complete one sentence before beginning the other, resulting in a total term of 40 years. That was not the order reported by the NDLEA.
Agency welcomes conviction
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa described the conviction as a warning to international drug-trafficking groups seeking to use Nigeria as a transit route or destination.
He said the case demonstrated the value of intelligence sharing and cooperation between Nigerian authorities and their international partners.
Marwa also said the agency would continue strengthening airport surveillance, intelligence-led investigations and international collaboration against organised drug trafficking.
The conviction came slightly more than two months after Ann’s arrest. She pleaded guilty to both charges before the Federal High Court delivered its sentence.
