Marwa says conviction proves no drug trafficker escapes justice as Federal High Court Lagos jails convicts for 7.05kg cocaine importation
By The Unique Model Magazine Reporter
The long arm of the law has finally caught up with them. Nearly 10 years after jumping bail, fugitive drug kingpin Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and his accomplice, ex-international footballer Hunkarin Segun George, have been convicted and sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment by Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for the unlawful importation of 7.050 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
The judgment delivered on Friday, 24th July 2026, marks another major win for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in its war against narcotics trafficking.
Chinedu’s trouble began in September 2015 when he was first arraigned before Justice Salihu Saidu (now retired) on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilograms of cocaine. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, but midway into trial he vanished and remained on the run for almost a decade.
NDLEA operatives, however, never let go of the case. Their persistence paid off on Tuesday, 24th June 2025, when Chinedu was re-arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine on an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu, a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey, had transited through Addis Ababa where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Lagos.
Waiting for him at the airport carpark to collect the consignment was Segun George Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who spent years playing for clubs in Brazil. NDLEA operatives promptly tracked and arrested him at the scene.
In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in Brazil, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia.
Following the arrest, both men were arraigned on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for unlawful importation of 800grams of cocaine.
In court, prosecuting counsel Barrister Adekunle Adebajo reminded Justice Kakaki of Chinedu’s 2015 case and urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the NDLEA Act. Defence counsel Chief Benson Ndakara for Chinedu and Chief Emefo Etudo for Hunkarin pleaded for leniency and asked that fine options be considered instead of custodial sentences.
After reviewing the submissions, authorities and exhibits, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without option of fine for the 6.250kg cocaine imported in 2015, and a further 2 years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import 800grams, bringing his total to 22 years.
Hunkarin was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge. The combined jail terms stand at 24 years.
Reacting to the conviction, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the courts’ commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking.
Marwa also applauded NDLEA officers for their role in the arrest, investigation and prosecution, noting that the re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly 10 years demonstrates the “doggedness, patience and thoroughness” of the Agency in tracking fugitives.
He restated NDLEA’s resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking, “regardless of their status or how long they attempt to evade justice, are brought to book.”
Signed:
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media and Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Monday 27th July 2026