A fugitive drug trafficker who evaded justice for nearly a decade and a former international footballer have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing cocaine into Nigeria.
The convicts, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and former professional footballer Segun George Hunkarin, were convicted by Justice Musa Kakaki after being found guilty of offences involving the importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine.
Chinedu, who was first arraigned in 2015 over the importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, had jumped bail during his trial and remained on the run for almost 10 years before he was re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that Chinedu was intercepted on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that although Chinedu travelled from Turkey, he transited through Addis Ababa, where he collected the drug consignment from another individual before continuing to Nigeria. He reportedly operated as a frequent traveller, transporting clothing from Turkey to Nigeria and food items from Nigeria to Turkey.
