A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced fugitive drug kingpin Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and former international footballer Hunkarin Segun George to a combined 24 years in prison for importing 7.050 kilograms of cocaine, concluding a case that spanned more than a decade.
Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment on 24 July 2026 after convicting Chinedu and Hunkarin on charges linked to separate cocaine importation offences. Chinedu received a total prison sentence of 22 years without the option of a fine, while Hunkarin was sentenced to two years for conspiracy.
The case began in September 2015 when Chinedu was arraigned on a one-count charge, marked FHC/L/227C/2015, for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. Although he pleaded not guilty and secured bail, he absconded during the trial and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 years.
Operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the country’s anti-narcotics agency, re-arrested Chinedu on 24 June 2025 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Investigators said he was attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa after travelling from Turkey.
According to the NDLEA, Chinedu frequently transported clothing from Turkey to Nigeria and food items from Nigeria to Turkey. Investigators alleged that he collected the suitcase containing cocaine during a stopover in Addis Ababa before continuing his journey to Lagos.
Further investigations identified Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who had played for clubs in Brazil, as Chinedu’s accomplice. NDLEA officers arrested him in the airport car park, where investigators said he had gone to collect the drug consignment.
In a statement to investigators, Hunkarin admitted that he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.
The NDLEA subsequently charged both men under case number FHC/L/669C/2025 with unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine. During the trial, prosecuting counsel Adekunle Adebajo reminded the court that Chinedu had previously fled prosecution after being granted bail in 2015. He urged the court to impose penalties in line with the NDLEA Act.
Defence counsel Benson Ndakara, representing Chinedu, and Emefo Etudo, representing Hunkarin, appealed for leniency and asked the court to consider fines instead of custodial sentences. However, after reviewing the evidence, legal authorities and exhibits, Justice Kakaki imposed prison terms without the option of fines.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) described the convictions as a reaffirmation of the judiciary’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and ensuring that offenders face justice regardless of how long they evade arrest.
Marwa also commended the NDLEA officers who handled the arrest, investigation and prosecution, saying Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run demonstrated the agency’s persistence, patience and determination in pursuing fugitives.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that those involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or the time spent evading justice, are brought before the courts.
