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 imprisonment for importing 7.050 kilogrammes of cocaine, bringing to a close, 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 arising from separate cocaine importation offences.
Chinedu was sentenced to a total of 22 years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine, while Hunkarin received a two-year prison term for conspiracy.
The case dates back to September 2015, when Chinedu was arraigned before the court on a one-count charge, marked FHC/L/227C/2015, for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria.
Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during the trial and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 years.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) re-arrested Chinedu on 24 June 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while he was allegedly attempting to smuggle 800 grammes of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa after travelling from Turkey.
According to the NDLEA, Chinedu regularly transported clothing from Turkey to Nigeria and food items from Nigeria to Turkey.
Investigators alleged that he collected the suitcase containing the cocaine during a stopover in Addis Ababa before continuing his journey to Lagos.
Further investigations identified Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played for clubs in Brazil, as Chinedu’s accomplice. NDLEA operatives arrested him in the airport car park, where he had allegedly gone to receive the drug consignment.
In his statement to investigators, Hunkarin admitted to trafficking 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 the unlawful importation of 800 grammes of cocaine.
During the trial, prosecuting counsel, Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had jumped bail in the 2015 case and urged the court to impose penalties in accordance with the NDLEA Act.
Counsel to the defendants, Benson Ndakara for Chinedu and Emefo Etudo for Hunkarin, pleaded for leniency and urged the court to impose fines instead of custodial sentences. However, after reviewing the evidence, legal authorities and exhibits tendered before the court, Justice Kakaki sentenced both men to prison without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described the convictions as a reaffirmation of the judiciary’s commitment to the fight against 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 of the case, saying Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run, demonstrated the agency’s persistence, patience and determination in tracking down fugitives.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that all those involved in drug trafficking, regardless of their status or the length of time spent evading justice, are brought before the courts.
