Fugitive drug trafficker, ex-footballer jailed 24 years for cocaine importation

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a fugitive drug trafficker and a former professional footballer to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment for importing cocaine into Nigeria.

The convicts, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and former footballer Segun George Hunkarin, were convicted by Justice Musa Kakaki after they were found guilty of offences involving the importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.

According to security sources, Chinedu was first arraigned in 2015 over the importation of 6.25 kilograms of cocaine but absconded after being granted bail, remaining at large for nearly 10 years.

He was re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Investigations revealed that although Chinedu travelled from Turkey, he stopped over in Addis Ababa, where he allegedly collected the drug consignment before continuing to Nigeria. He was said to have frequently travelled between Turkey and Nigeria, transporting clothing to Nigeria and food items back to Turkey.

Further intelligence led NDLEA operatives to arrest Hunkarin at the airport car park, where he was allegedly waiting to receive the cocaine shipment.

During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted to trafficking illicit drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia on two occasions while playing professional football in Brazil.

The two suspects were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.

In a judgment delivered on July 24, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800-gram consignment, bringing his total jail term to 22 years.

Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for conspiracy.

During the trial, NDLEA prosecutor Adekunle Adebajo urged the court to impose the appropriate punishment, noting that Chinedu had jumped bail after his 2015 arraignment. Defence counsel pleaded for leniency and sought non-custodial sentences, but the court declined.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the conviction as a demonstration of the judiciary’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking.

Marwa said Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade underscored the agency’s determination to track fugitives and ensure offenders are brought to justice, regardless of how long they evade arrest.