By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

A fugitive drug kingpin who fled after being granted bail nearly a decade ago, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing 7.050 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria.

Justice Musa Kakaki handed down the sentences on Friday, July 24, 2026, convicting Chinedu to 22 years imprisonment without an option of fine, while Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment for his role in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in a statement, said Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 over the importation of 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine but absconded after being admitted to bail, remaining at large for almost 10 years before his re-arrest on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.

According to the agency, Chinedu was intercepted while attempting to smuggle another 800 grammes of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa after travelling from Turkey. Investigators established that he picked up the illicit consignment during his transit in Ethiopia before continuing to Lagos.

The anti-narcotics agency said further investigations led to the arrest of Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played for clubs in Brazil, at the airport car park where he had allegedly gone to receive the cocaine consignment.

During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted that he had trafficked illicit drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.

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

At the trial, NDLEA prosecutor, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, urged the court to impose the prescribed punishment under the NDLEA Act, recalling that Chinedu had earlier been arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi in 2015 but jumped bail midway into the proceedings.

Although counsel to the convicts pleaded for leniency and requested the court to consider fines instead of custodial sentences, Justice Kakaki dismissed the plea and sentenced both men to prison without the option of fine.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the conviction as a reaffirmation of the judiciary’s commitment to the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

“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,” Marwa said.

He added that the agency would continue to work closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that drug traffickers, irrespective of their status or how long they evade justice, are brought to book.