Drug Trafficking Scandal Rocks Nigeria As Ex-Footballer, Others Arrested In Swoop Operation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, and his associate, Ntoruka Chinedu, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria through Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Chinedu, known for frequently travelling between Turkey and Nigeria to trade clothes and foodstuffs, was arrested on June 24, 2025, after arriving from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight with a stopover in Addis Ababa. A search of his hand luggage revealed 37 wraps of cocaine, weighing 800 grams, allegedly handed to him in Ethiopia.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Segun Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played in Brazil. He was found waiting at the airport car park to receive the illicit drugs from Chinedu. Hunkarin admitted to previously trafficking drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia twice during his football career but claimed this was his first time involving Nigeria.

In a separate incident, NDLEA officials arrested Amen Okoro Godstime, a Europe-based businessman, on June 27, while trying to smuggle 5,000 tablets of Tramadol (225mg) disguised as malaria drugs through Terminal 2 at Lagos airport. Okoro, who intended to take the drugs to Italy via France, was preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight.

That same day at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, two other traffickers were arrested:

• Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, a 38-year-old bar attendant from Mozambique, was found with 17.5kg of methamphetamine and 3.05kg of cocaine hidden in bedsheets in his luggage after arriving from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa.

• Azu Follygan Kpodar, 54, a toy merchant from São Paulo, Brazil, was intercepted with 1.25kg of liquid cocaine concealed in a plastic soap container. He claimed he bought it while shopping for his upcoming wedding in Nigeria.

In other operations:

• At the Seme border in Badagry, Vode Jean-Luck, a 26-year-old Beninese man, was arrested on June 24 with 29.5kg of skunk (a potent form of cannabis) packed into 69 balls.

• In Omu-Aran, Kwara State, NDLEA agents raided the home of a known drug dealer, Mary Bolanle Oladele (aka “Iya Nafi”), on June 25, seizing quantities of skunk, tramadol, and flunitrazepam.

• In Warri, Delta State, 72-year-old Christy Ejaro was arrested on June 24 in the Niger CAT area with sachets of skunk intended for sale.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, who disclosed the developments, reiterated the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug networks across the country.

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