A fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a Nigerian ex-international football player, Hunkarin Segun George, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos for unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge, marked: FHC/L/227c/2015, for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine.
He pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail, but jumped bail midway into the trial and remained at large for nearly 10 years.
He was eventually re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on June 24, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
He was a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.
Investigation showed that the convict was coming from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.
Further checks revealed that Hunkarin, an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport car park to collect the consignment from him.
Hunkarin. who had stayed for years in Brazil playing for football clubs, was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.
In his statement, he claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Both Chinedu and Hunkarin were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge, marked: FHC/L/669C/2025, for unlawful importation of 800grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgment on July 24, 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, and a further two years, also without an option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms to 24 years imprisonment.
Reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) in 2015 on the same importation charge, but vanished after being granted bail.
Citing a plethora of legal authorities, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act.
The defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara, for Chinedu, and Chief Emefo Etudo, for Hunkarin, pleaded with the court for leniency and urged that fine options be considered in lieu of custodial sentences.
The court, however, after a careful review of the submissions, cited authorities, and tendered exhibits, sentenced both convicts to prison terms without any option of fine.
Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the judiciary for the judgment.
He described it as 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.
Marwa also commended the officers, men, and women of the Agency involved in the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of the case.
He said the eventual re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly 10 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 restated the Agency’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.