Lagos Court Jails Former Footballer, Fugitive Drug Kingpin for 24 Years

The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced former international footballer Segun Hunkarin and fugitive drug kingpin Ntoruka Chinedu to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment for importing cocaine into Nigeria.

Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the judgment after convicting both men on charges related to the unlawful importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 for importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine but fled after being granted bail, remaining at large for nearly a decade.

The NDLEA said he was re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Investigations revealed that Chinedu travelled from Turkey and transited through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the cocaine-filled luggage before arriving in Nigeria.

The agency further disclosed that Hunkarin, who previously played professional football in Brazil, was arrested in the airport car park while waiting to receive the consignment.

According to the NDLEA, the former footballer admitted during interrogation that he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia during his playing career in South America.

Both suspects were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.

Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years’ imprisonment without an option of fine for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin in the latest offence, bringing his total jail term to 22 years.

Hunkarin received a two-year prison sentence for conspiracy, bringing the combined sentence to 24 years.

During the trial, NDLEA prosecutor Adekunle Adebajo reminded the court that Chinedu had jumped bail after his 2015 arraignment and urged the court to convict both defendants under the provisions of the NDLEA Act.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) described the conviction as evidence of the agency’s determination to track fugitives and ensure drug traffickers are brought to justice regardless of how long they evade arrest.