A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer Segun George Hunkarin have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing cocaine into Nigeria.
Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment on Friday, sentencing Chinedu to 22 years imprisonment without an option of fine, while Hunkarin received two years imprisonment for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to a statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge of unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail but absconded midway through his trial, remaining a fugitive for nearly a decade.
His luck ran out on June 24, 2025, when NDLEA operatives re-arrested him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey, transiting through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the cocaine-laden luggage from another individual before flying into Lagos. NDLEA operatives also uncovered that Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who had played for clubs in Brazil, was waiting at the airport car park to receive the illicit consignment.
Hunkarin was immediately arrested, and during interrogation reportedly admitted that while playing football in Brazil, 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.
Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment for the 2015 importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800 grams seized in 2025. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment for conspiracy, bringing the total combined sentence to 24 years.
During the trial, NDLEA prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had absconded after being granted bail by the late Justice Salihu Saudi in 2015. He urged the court to impose appropriate sanctions under the NDLEA Act.
Counsel for the convicts, Chief Benson Ndakara and Chief Emefo Etudo, appealed for leniency and requested the court to consider fines instead of custodial sentences. However, the court rejected the plea and imposed prison terms without the option of fines.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the judiciary for what he described as a strong reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to combating drug trafficking.
Marwa also commended the NDLEA officers involved in the investigation, re-arrest and prosecution of the case, describing Chinedu’s capture after nearly ten years on the run as evidence of the Agency’s persistence, patience and professionalism.
He reiterated the Agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that drug traffickers, regardless of their status or how long they evade justice, are eventually brought to justice.
