Fugitive Drug Kingpin, Ex-International Footballer Jailed 24 Years for Cocaine Importation
Oru Leonard
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, in a case the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says underscores its determination to ensure no drug trafficker escapes justice.
Justice Musa Kakaki handed down the sentences after convicting the duo over separate cocaine importation offences involving a total of 7.05 kilograms of the illicit drug.
Chinedu, who had been on the run for nearly a decade after jumping bail in a 2015 cocaine importation case, received 22 years imprisonment without the option of a fine. He was sentenced to 20 years for importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine in 2015 and an additional two years for conspiring to import 800 grams of cocaine in 2025.
His co-convict, Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played in Brazil, was sentenced to two years imprisonment without the option of a fine for conspiracy to import the 800-gram cocaine consignment.
According to the NDLEA, Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 but absconded midway through his trial after being granted bail. He was re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine concealed in luggage on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey and collected the cocaine-filled luggage during a transit stop in Ethiopia before flying into Nigeria. NDLEA operatives also arrested Hunkarin, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the consignment.
During interrogation, Hunkarin admitted he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.
Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki rejected pleas by defence counsel for leniency and the option of fines, ruling instead that both convicts should serve custodial sentences.
NDLEA prosecutor Adekunle Adebajo had urged the court to impose appropriate sanctions under the NDLEA Act, recalling that Chinedu had previously fled while facing trial before Justice Salihu Saudi in 2015.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the judiciary for reaffirming its commitment to combating drug trafficking.
Marwa also commended NDLEA officers involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution, describing Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly 10 years as evidence of the Agency’s persistence, patience and professionalism in tracking down fugitives.
He reiterated the Agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that all persons involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or how long they evade justice, are brought to account.
