Ex-footballer jailed 24 years for cocaine smuggling

A fugitive drug trafficker who evaded justice for nearly a decade and a former international footballer have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment for importing cocaine into Nigeria.

Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and Segun George Hunkarin after finding them guilty of offences involving 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.

Chinedu, who was first arraigned in 2015 for importing 6.25kg of cocaine, had jumped bail during his trial and remained on the run for almost 10 years.

His luck ran out on June 24, 2025, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 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 picked up the cocaine during a stopover in Ethiopia before flying into Lagos.

NDLEA operatives also arrested his alleged accomplice, former professional footballer Segun George Hunkarin, who was waiting at the airport car park to receive the illicit consignment.

According to the agency, Hunkarin admitted during interrogation that he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.

Both men were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of cocaine.

Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without the option of a fine for the 2015 cocaine importation and an additional two years for conspiring to import the 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total jail term to 22 years. Hunkarin received two years imprisonment for conspiracy, making their combined sentence 24 years.

The court rejected pleas by defence lawyers seeking non-custodial punishment or fines.

Reacting to the verdict, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), hailed the judgment as a strong warning to drug traffickers, saying the successful re-arrest and conviction of Chinedu after nearly a decade on the run demonstrated the agency’s determination to pursue fugitives until they are brought to justice.

Marwa also commended the officers involved in the operation and reaffirmed 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 arrest, are prosecuted.