Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years for Cocaine Importation
Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years for Cocaine Importation
Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years for Cocaine Importation
The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a fugitive drug trafficker, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer, Hunkarin Segun George, to a combined 24 years imprisonment for the unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Musa Kakaki, who found both defendants guilty of offences bordering on cocaine trafficking following their prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Confirming the conviction, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 on a one-count charge, marked FHC/L/227C/2015, for allegedly importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine into the country.
According to Babafemi, although Chinedu pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during the trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.
He was eventually re-arrested by NDLEA operatives on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu, a frequent international traveller involved in the importation of clothing from Turkey and export of food items to the country, had travelled from Turkey and transited through Addis Ababa, where he allegedly collected the illicit consignment before proceeding to Nigeria.
Further intelligence led NDLEA operatives to the airport car park, where Hunkarin Segun George, a former professional footballer who previously played for clubs in Brazil, was arrested while allegedly waiting to receive the drug consignment.
During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted to previously trafficking illicit drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.
Following their arrest, both men were arraigned before the Federal High Court on a three-count charge, marked FHC/L/669C/2025, over the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
In his judgment delivered on July 24, 2026, Justice Kakaki sentenced the two convicts to a combined 24-year prison term without the option of a fine, reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to combating illicit drug trafficking and organised crime.
Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years for Cocaine Importation
