A fugitive drug trafficker, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing cocaine into Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Musa Kakaki handed down the judgment after finding both men guilty of offences linked to the unlawful importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine. Chinedu received a total of 22 years imprisonment without the option of a fine, while Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 over the importation of 6.25 kilograms of cocaine. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during the trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.
He was re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into the country on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey and picked up the drug-laden luggage during a stopover in Ethiopia before flying into Nigeria. NDLEA operatives also arrested Hunkarin, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the consignment.
During interrogation, Hunkarin admitted that while playing professional football in Brazil, he had trafficked drugs twice from the South American country to Ethiopia.
The duo was subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine. While Chinedu was convicted for both the 2015 and 2025 offences, Hunkarin was convicted for conspiracy relating to the latest drug importation.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the conviction as proof of the agency’s determination to ensure drug traffickers are brought to justice regardless of how long they evade arrest.
Marwa also praised the officers involved in the operation, saying Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly 10 years on the run demonstrated the persistence and professionalism of NDLEA operatives in tracking fugitives and ensuring they face the law. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to rid the country of drug trafficking.
