A fugitive drug trafficker, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Musa Kakaki after both men were found guilty of separate drug trafficking offences prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on a charge of importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.
He was re-arrested by NDLEA operatives on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigators revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey, transiting through Addis Ababa, where he allegedly collected the cocaine-filled luggage before continuing to Nigeria.
They also discovered that Hunkarin, who previously played professional football in Brazil, was waiting at the airport car park to receive the consignment and was subsequently arrested.
During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted to trafficking illicit drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.
The duo were later arraigned on a three-count charge over the 800-gram cocaine importation.
In a judgment delivered on July 24, Justice Kakaki sentenced both convicts to a combined 24 years imprisonment without the option of a fine.
