A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for the unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
Justice Musa Kakaki, who delivered the judgment on Friday, sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine into the country in 2015.
The court also handed him an additional two-year jail term, also without the option of a fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to import 800 grams of cocaine in 2025, bringing his total sentence to 22 years. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.
Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227C/2015 after he was arrested for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded midway into the trial and remained at large for almost a decade.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the fugitive was eventually re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu, a frequent traveller who transported clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey, had travelled from Turkey and transited through Addis Ababa, where he collected the cocaine-laden luggage from another individual before flying into Lagos.
Further investigation led operatives to Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played for clubs in Brazil and was waiting at the airport car park to receive the illicit consignment.
According to the NDLEA, the former footballer admitted during interrogation that while playing professionally in Brazil, he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Following their arrest, both men were arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
During the trial, NDLEA prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had previously been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saidu, who has since retired, but jumped bail after being released.
He urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the provisions of the NDLEA Act.
Counsel to Chinedu, Chief Benson Ndakara, and counsel to Hunkarin, Chief Emefo Etudo, appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy by imposing fines instead of custodial sentences.
Justice Kakaki, however, rejected the plea after reviewing the evidence, legal authorities and exhibits tendered before the court, sentencing both convicts to prison without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the conviction as a major victory in the agency’s campaign against drug trafficking.
“The judgment is 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,” he said.
Marwa also commended the officers involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, saying Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly 10 years on the run demonstrated the determination, patience and professionalism of NDLEA operatives.
“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 said.
The NDLEA boss reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that individuals involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they evade arrest, are brought to justice.
