The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured a major legal victory with the conviction and sentencing of a fugitive drug kingpin who evaded justice for nearly a decade and a former international footballer linked to a cocaine trafficking syndicate, reinforcing the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks and bring offenders to justice.
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced fugitive drug trafficker Ntoruka Chinedu to a cumulative 22 years imprisonment, while former professional footballer Segun Hunkarin was handed a two-year jail term for his role in the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria.
The judgment concluded a case that began in 2015 when Chinedu was first arraigned for importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country. After pleading not guilty and obtaining bail, he absconded during trial, remaining on the run for almost 10 years before being apprehended by NDLEA operatives.
His luck ran out on June 24, 2025, when he was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grammes of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, investigations revealed that Chinedu, who regularly travelled between Turkey and Nigeria for the clothing business, collected the illicit consignment during a stopover in Ethiopia before arriving in Lagos.
Further intelligence-led operations led NDLEA operatives to Hunkarin, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the drug consignment. During interrogation, the former footballer admitted to previously trafficking illicit drugs on two occasions from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his professional football career in South America.
In his judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without the option of a fine for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800 grammes of cocaine in 2025.
Hunkarin received a two-year prison sentence for the conspiracy offence, bringing the combined jail terms imposed on both convicts to 24 years.
The court dismissed pleas by defence counsel for non-custodial sentences through fines, ruling that the gravity of the offences warranted custodial punishment after considering the evidence and legal authorities presented by the prosecution.
Reacting to the verdict, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the judgment as a clear demonstration that drug traffickers cannot outrun justice, regardless of how long they remain in hiding.
Marwa said Chinedu’s re-arrest after nearly a decade reflected the agency’s patience, resilience and intelligence-driven operational strategy in tracking fugitives across borders. He also commended the judiciary for strengthening Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and praised NDLEA officers involved in the investigation, arrest and successful prosecution of the case.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to relentlessly pursuing drug traffickers and dismantling criminal networks, stressing that offenders would be brought to justice irrespective of their social status, profession or the length of time spent evading arrest.
