A FUGITIVE drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a former international football player, Hunkarin Segun George, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos for the unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Director of Media and Advocacy at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, detailing how the two convicts were prosecuted following separate but related cocaine importation offences.
Babafemi said 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 into the country.
According to the statement, Chinedu pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail by the court. However, he absconded midway through the trial after being admitted to bail and remained on the run for nearly 10 years.
The NDLEA spokesman disclosed that Chinedu was eventually re-arrested by operatives of the Agency on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Babafemi noted that investigations revealed Chinedu was a frequent international traveller who regularly transported clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.
“He was a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey,” the statement said.
Further investigations established that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, transiting through Addis Ababa, where he allegedly collected luggage belonging to another person before continuing his journey to Nigeria.
The investigation also uncovered the involvement of an accomplice, Hunkarin Segun George, a former professional footballer who had lived in Brazil for several years playing for football clubs.
According to the NDLEA, Hunkarin was waiting for Chinedu in the airport car park to receive the drug consignment when operatives tracked and arrested him.
“In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia,” the statement added.
Following their arrest, Chinedu and Hunkarin were arraigned before the Federal High Court on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgment on Friday, July 24, 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for the unlawful importation of the 6.250 kilograms of cocaine that formed the basis of the 2015 case.
The court also sentenced him to an additional two years’ imprisonment, without the option of a fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total prison sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms imposed on both convicts to 24 years.
Reviewing the facts of the case, prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi, now retired, in 2015 over the same cocaine importation charge before disappearing after being granted bail.
The NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act, citing several judicial authorities in support of his arguments.
Counsel to the first defendant, Chief Benson Ndakara, and counsel to Hunkarin, Chief Emefo Etudo, appealed to the court for leniency and urged Justice Kakaki to consider imposing fines instead of custodial sentences.
The court, however, after reviewing the submissions of both parties, the legal authorities cited and the exhibits tendered before it, rejected the plea for leniency and sentenced both convicts to prison terms without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for what he described as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding Nigeria of drug trafficking and ensuring that those involved in the illicit trade are brought to justice, regardless of how long they evade arrest.
Marwa also praised the officers, men and women of the Agency involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, noting that Chinedu’s eventual re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run demonstrated the doggedness, patience and professionalism of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives.
He restated the Agency’s determination to continue working closely with the judiciary and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, irrespective of their status or the length of time they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.