Picnews
A suspected drug kingpin and fugitive, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, alongside former international footballer Hunkarin Segun George, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for unlawfully importing cocaine into Nigeria.
The duo was convicted over the importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine, with the court imposing the jail term without an option of fine.
Confirming the conviction, the spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, disclosed that Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227C/2015 for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine.
According to Babafemi, Chinedu pleaded not guilty and was granted bail but later absconded during the trial process, remaining at large for nearly 10 years.
He was eventually rearrested by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Babafemi said investigations revealed that Chinedu, who frequently travelled between Turkey and Nigeria, was returning from Turkey and had transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he collected a luggage from another individual before proceeding to Nigeria.
“Further checks revealed that an accomplice, who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport car park to receive the consignment. Hunkarin, who spent several years in Brazil playing for football clubs, was subsequently tracked and arrested at the car park,” Babafemi said.
In his statement, Hunkarin reportedly claimed that while playing professional football in Brazil, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Following their arrest, Chinedu and Hunkarin were arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 bordering on the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgment on Friday, July 24, 2026, Justice Kakaki convicted and sentenced both men to a combined 24 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking and ensuring that individuals involved in illicit drug activities are brought to justice.
