A former international footballer who once played professionally in Brazil and a fugitive drug trafficker have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment after the Federal High Court in Lagos found them guilty of importing 7.05 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
The convicts, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and Hunkarin Segun George, were sentenced by Justice Musa Kakaki after the court found them guilty of offences bordering on the unlawful importation of cocaine.
Chinedu, who was first arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge of unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, had pleaded not guilty and was granted bail before absconding midway into his trial. He remained a fugitive for nearly 10 years until he was re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, Chinedu was apprehended while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. Investigators established that he had travelled from Turkey and transited through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the illicit consignment before continuing his journey to Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Monday, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said investigations further revealed that Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who spent years playing for clubs in Brazil, was waiting at the airport car park to collect the drug consignment.
Babafemi said the former footballer was immediately arrested after being linked to the operation.
According to him, Hunkarin admitted during interrogation that while playing professional football in Brazil, he had trafficked drugs from the South American country to Ethiopia on two occasions.
The spokesman said both men were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court on a three-count charge bordering on the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
Delivering judgment on July 24, 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. He was handed an additional two-year prison term, also without the option of fine, for conspiring with Hunkarin to import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment for conspiracy, bringing the combined jail term for both convicts to 24 years.
Reviewing the facts of the case, NDLEA prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reminded the court that Chinedu had initially been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saidu, now retired, in 2015 before absconding after being granted bail.
He urged the court to convict the defendants in accordance with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act.
Although defence counsel pleaded for leniency and requested the option of fines in place of custodial sentences, the court, after reviewing the evidence, legal authorities and exhibits tendered by the prosecution, sentenced both men to prison without the option of a fine.
Reacting to the judgment, Babafemi quoted the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), as commending the judiciary for what he described as a significant affirmation of the nation’s resolve against drug trafficking.
“The judgment is a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking and those who perpetrate it, no matter how long they evade justice,” Babafemi quoted Marwa as saying.
He said the NDLEA Chairman also commended the officers and personnel involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, describing Chinedu’s eventual re-arrest after nearly a decade on the run as proof of the Agency’s determination to ensure that no drug trafficker escapes justice.
“The eventual re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly ten years on the run demonstrates the doggedness, patience and thoroughness of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives and ensuring that no drug trafficker escapes the long arm of the law,” Babafemi stated.
He added that the Agency remained committed to working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that individuals involved in drug trafficking, irrespective of their status or how long they evade arrest, are identified, prosecuted and brought to justice.
