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.

Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 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. 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 for football clubs was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.

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 judgment 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.

Reviewing the facts of the case, prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) in 2015 on the same importation charge but vanished after being granted bail. Citing a plethora of legal authorities, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act.

Defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara for Chinedu and Chief Emefo Etudo for Hunkarin, had pleaded with the court for leniency and urged that fine options be considered in lieu of custodial sentences. The court, however, after a careful review of the submissions, cited authorities and tendered exhibits, sentenced both convicts to prison terms without any option of fine.

Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgment, 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.