Ex-Footballer, Fugitive Drug Kingpin Jailed 24 Years for Cocaine Trafficking

The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced former international footballer Segun George Hunkarin and fugitive drug kingpin Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu to a combined 24 years imprisonment for cocaine trafficking following their prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment on July 24, 2026, bringing to a close a case that began more than a decade ago after Chinedu absconded while facing trial over the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria.

Chinedu received a 22-year prison sentence without the option of a fine. The court sentenced him to 20 years for his involvement in the 2015 importation of 6.25 kilograms of cocaine after he jumped bail and remained a fugitive for nearly 10 years. He was also handed an additional two-year jail term for conspiracy related to the drug trafficking offence.

George Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played in Brazil, was sentenced to two years imprisonment without the option of a fine for conspiring to unlawfully import 800 grams of cocaine into the country.

According to the NDLEA, Chinedu was re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, shortly after arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Investigators said Hunkarin was apprehended at the airport’s car park while waiting to receive the illicit drug consignment, linking him directly to the trafficking operation.

The conviction marks a significant milestone in the NDLEA’s sustained campaign against illicit drug trafficking and demonstrates the agency’s resolve to pursue and prosecute offenders, regardless of how long they evade justice.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and ensuring that those involved in narcotics-related crimes are brought before the law.