Justice Served: Ex-Footballer, Fugitive Drug Lord Get 24-Year Jail Term

In a landmark judgment, the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a notorious fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and a former international football player, Hunkarin Segun George, to a combined total of 24 years imprisonment for their role in the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria. According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was first arraigned in court in September 2015 on a one-count charge for importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine, but he jumped bail and remained at large for nearly a decade before being re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine. Investigation revealed that Chinedu, who was known for frequently traveling between Turkey and Nigeria, had collected the cocaine from an accomplice in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Lagos. Further investigation led to the arrest of Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who had played in Brazil, at the airport car park where he was waiting to collect the consignment from Chinedu. Both Chinedu and Hunkarin were subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge and found guilty. Delivering the judgment, Justice Musa Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment for the unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms of cocaine and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge, bringing the combined jail terms to 24 years. The court's decision was based on the submissions of the prosecuting counsel, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, who cited several legal authorities and urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act. The defence counsel had pleaded for leniency and urged the court to consider fine options, but the court ruled that the convicts should serve their sentences without any option of fine.