By: Odeh Favour Adiya
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a former international football player, Hunkarin Segun George, to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment without an option of fine for unlawfully importing 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into the country.
In a statement shared by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on their official X handle, signed by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, the agency revealed that the judgment was delivered on Friday, July 24, 2026, by Justice Musa Kakaki.
Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, and another two years, also without an option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import an additional 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total jail sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin, on his part, was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms of both convicts to 24 years.
Prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, while reviewing the facts of the case, reminded the court that Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine.
Although he pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail, Chinedu jumped bail midway into his trial and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 years before NDLEA operatives tracked him down and re-arrested him on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
He was intercepted while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. Investigators noted that Chinedu was a frequent flyer who regularly conveyed clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.
The agency revealed that Chinedu had traveled from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, transiting through Addis Ababa where he picked up the illicit consignment from another person before heading to Nigeria.
Further checks exposed his accomplice, Segun George Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who had spent years playing for football clubs in Brazil. Hunkarin was waiting at the airport car park to receive the consignment from Chinedu when NDLEA officers tracked and arrested him on the spot.
In his statement to the agency, Hunkarin admitted that during his time playing professional football in the South American nation, he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Both men were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
During the proceedings, defense counsel Chief Benson Ndakara (representing Chinedu) and Chief Emefo Etudo (representing Hunkarin) pleaded with the court for leniency, begging for fine options in lieu of prison sentences. However, after reviewing the submissions, cited authorities, and tendered exhibits, the court rejected the pleas and sentenced both men to custodial prison terms without any option of fine.
Reacting to the judgment, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the verdict, describing it as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to clearing the country of drug trafficking and those who engage in it, regardless of how long they evade justice.
Marwa also praised the officers and operatives involved in the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of the case, emphasizing that Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run demonstrated the doggedness, patience, and thoroughness of the agency in tracking down fugitives. He reiterated the NDLEA’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary to ensure that drug traffickers are brought to book.
