A fugitive drug trafficker, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing cocaine into Nigeria.
Justice Musa Kakaki handed down the sentences after finding both men guilty of offences involving the unlawful importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge of importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during his trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.
The agency said Chinedu was re-arrested on 24 June 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while allegedly attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigators said Chinedu had travelled from Turkey and transited through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the illicit consignment before continuing to Lagos.
The NDLEA said further investigations led to the arrest of Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who reportedly played for clubs in Brazil. He was allegedly waiting at the airport car park to collect the drug consignment.
In his statement to investigators, Hunkarin reportedly admitted that he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia during his football career in South America.
Both men were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for importing the 6.25 kilograms of cocaine. He was also handed an additional two-year jail term without the option of a fine for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, bringing the combined prison terms to 24 years.
During the trial, NDLEA prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had jumped bail after his initial arraignment in 2015 before Justice Salihu Saudi, who has since retired. He urged the court to convict the defendants in line with the provisions of the NDLEA Act.
Defence lawyers Benson Ndakara and Emefo Etudo appealed for leniency and requested the court to impose fines instead of custodial sentences. However, the court rejected the plea and imposed prison terms without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the court, saying the conviction demonstrated that no drug trafficker would escape justice regardless of how long they remained on the run.
Marwa described Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly 10 years as evidence of the agency’s determination to track down fugitives and combat drug trafficking across the country.
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