Sh*cking Fall: Former International Footballer Jailed As Fugitive Drug Kingpin

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced fugitive drug trafficker Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and former international footballer Hunkarin Segun George to a combined 24 years in prison for cocaine trafficking offences.

Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment on Friday, imposing a 22-year jail term on Chinedu and a two-year sentence on Hunkarin after they were found guilty of offences linked to the illegal importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the convictions in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the agency, Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on charges of importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine into the country. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he allegedly fled during the trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.

The NDLEA said its operatives eventually rearrested him on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while he was allegedly attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Investigators said Chinedu frequently travelled between Turkey and Nigeria, importing clothing into Nigeria and exporting food items to Turkey. During the investigation, officers discovered that he had collected the luggage containing the illicit drugs in Addis Ababa before boarding the flight to Lagos.

The investigation later led to the arrest of Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who previously played for clubs in Brazil.

The NDLEA said Hunkarin was apprehended in the airport car park while allegedly waiting to receive the cocaine shipment from Chinedu.

According to the agency, the former footballer admitted during interrogation that he had on two previous occasions trafficked drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.

Following their arrest, both men were charged in suit number FHC/L/669C/2025 on three counts relating to the unlawful importation of the additional 800 grams of cocaine.

In his ruling, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years in prison without the option of a fine for the earlier offence involving 6.25 kilograms of cocaine. He received an additional two-year prison term, also without the option of a fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800-gram cocaine consignment.

The sentences brought Chinedu’s total jail term to 22 years.

Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy, bringing the total prison terms handed to both convicts to 24 years.

During the trial, NDLEA prosecutor Adekunle Adebajo reminded the court that Chinedu had previously been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi in 2015 before absconding after being granted bail. He urged the court to impose appropriate punishment in line with the provisions of the NDLEA Act.

Counsel to the defendants, Chief Benson Ndakara and Chief Emefo Etudo, appealed for leniency and asked the court to consider imposing fines instead of custodial sentences. However, the court rejected the request after reviewing the evidence and legal submissions presented during the proceedings.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the judiciary for what he described as its continued commitment to the fight against drug trafficking.

Marwa also praised the agency’s officers for successfully tracking, rearresting and prosecuting Chinedu after nearly 10 years as a fugitive.

According to him, the conviction sends a clear message that fleeing from justice does not guarantee escape from the law, as the agency remains committed to pursuing drug traffickers regardless of how long they evade arrest.