A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and an ex-international football player, Hunkarin Segun George, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine.
He pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail, but jumped bail midway into trial and remained at large for nearly 10 years.
He was eventually re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday 24th June, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
The statement noted that he was a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.
Investigation showed that the convict was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.
Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him.
Hunkarin, who had stayed years in Brazil playing football, was promptly tracked and arrested at the car park.
In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Both Chinedu and Hunkarin were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for unlawful importation of 800grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgement on Friday, 24th July, 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, and a further two years, also without an option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms to 24 years imprisonment.
Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgement, describing it as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking and those who perpetrate it, no matter how long they evade justice.
Marwa also commended the officers, men and women of the Agency involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, noting that the eventual re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly ten years on the run demonstrated the doggedness, patience and thoroughness of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives and ensuring that no drug trafficker escapes the long arm of the law.
He restated the agency’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.