Felicia Asuquo(Abuja),Tunde Omoniyi(Lagos)
A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, to a combined 24 years imprisonment for unlawfully importing cocaine into Nigeria.
Justice Musa Kakaki, who delivered the judgment on Friday, July 24, 2026, sentenced Chinedu to 22 years in prison without the option of a fine, while Hunkarin received a two-year jail term for his role in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
The conviction stemmed from two separate offences involving the unlawful importation of a total of 7.050 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 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. Although granted bail after pleading not guilty, he absconded during the trial and remained on the run for nearly 10 years.
His escape came to an end on June 24, 2025, when NDLEA operatives re-arrested him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey and transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he collected the drug consignment from another individual before flying into Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives also uncovered that Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who spent years playing in Brazil, was waiting at the airport car park to receive the cocaine shipment. He was immediately arrested.
During interrogation, Hunkarin admitted that while playing football in Brazil, he had trafficked drugs twice from the South American country to Ethiopia.
Both suspects were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court on a three-count charge bordering on the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
While presenting the case, NDLEA prosecutor, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had jumped bail after his 2015 arraignment before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired). He urged the court to impose appropriate punishment in line with the provisions of the NDLEA Act.
Although defence counsel pleaded for leniency and requested fines in place of custodial sentences, Justice Kakaki declined the request and sentenced both convicts to prison without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for what he described as a firm stand against drug trafficking.
Marwa also praised the officers and personnel involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, noting that Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run demonstrated the agency’s persistence, patience and determination in tracking down fugitives.
He reaffirmed the NDLEA’s commitment to working closely with the judiciary and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that drug traffickers, regardless of their status or how long they evade justice, are arrested, prosecuted and brought to book.
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