Shehu Sani Fires Back as South African Woman Is Caught With Hard Drugs in Nigeria: "5.75kg of Sin"
- Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani weighed in on the Nigeria-South Africa drug row after a South African woman was arrested at Abuja airport
- Jessica Ann Will, 38, was caught on July 6, allegedly trying to smuggle 5.75kg of narcotics into Nigeria while using her three-year-old son as cover
- The arrest followed remarks by a South African minister who publicly accused Nigerians of being responsible for the drug trade in South Africa
Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has responded to renewed accusations by South African officials against Nigerians over drug tràffìckìng.
He pointed to the arrest of a South African national at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja as evidence that the issue is more complex.
Jessica Ann Will, a 38-year-old South African woman, was arrested on July 6 after investigators found she was allegedly attempting to bring 5.75 kilogrammes of hèròìn into Nigeria.
Source: Facebook
Shehu Sani reacts to South African drug allegations
Meanwhile, authorities said she was travelling with her three-year-old son, whom she reportedly used as a cover to avoid suspicion. The arrest was made by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The arrest followed comments by South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. During discussions on Nigeria's demand for compensation over xenophobic attacks on Nigerian-owned properties, she told Nigerian officials that South Africa would rather know where Nigerians were "holding the drugs so that we can clean the drugs in South Africa quite urgently."
Sani, writing on his verified X account on Sunday, July 12, turned the South African minister's framing back on the accusers. He noted that the bust at Abuja airport undermined the blanket narrative targeting Nigerians.
"Most people in South Africa have been pointing accusing fingers on Nigerians over drug tràffìckìng in their country, and they may not be completely wrong. Today, a South African woman is nabbed in our country trying to smuggle hard drugs. South Africans rushed to cast the First Stone on Nigerians while concealing their 5.75kg of Sin," Sani wrote.
Reactions to Shehu Sani's post
The senator's comments drew a range of responses from Nigerians online.
@Sholami4 argued:
"They had to come up with something against Nigeria for taking over their properties and businesses, even when those allegations are not valid and exaggerated."
@jgoldmonye offered a more layered take:
"Nigerians don't push drugs to South Africa; it is South Africans that are doing the business, though some foreign nationals, which may include jobless Nigerians and other nationals, may be employed by barons to help them run the street errands."
Source: Facebook
@Clouds58929908 raised a question about the arrested suspect's connections:
"That SA woman was sent by your BROTHERS here in SA. Interrogate her thoroughly."
@KingEmm55706302 linked the arrest to a broader pattern:
"Senator, sir, this is more than hilarious. We initially thought that Nigerians are the problem, but ironically we discovered that South African police are in the business of planting drugs on vulnerable Nigerians just to extort them. This woman has exposed a lot."
Read Sani's original post here:
Senator praises Air Peace evacuation mission
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Air Peace completed its second evacuation mission from South Africa, returning 271 Nigerians and bringing the total number evacuated from xenophobia-related distress situations to 533.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan commended the airline for placing national interest above commercial considerations. She described the operation as a humanitarian achievement that demonstrated patriotism, compassion, and responsibility toward Nigerians abroad.
Source: Legit.ng
