A former Nigerian international footballer, Hunkarin Segun George, has been sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to import cocaine into Nigeria, while convicted drug trafficker Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu received a 22-year jail term for separate cocaine importation offences.
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos handed down the sentences on Friday after finding both men guilty in connection with the unlawful importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.
According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Chinedu was initially arraigned in 2015 for importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. Although he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail, he absconded during the trial and remained on the run for nearly a decade.
The agency said he was rearrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the cocaine before continuing to Nigeria.
Further inquiries led NDLEA operatives to Hunkarin Segun George, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the drug consignment. The former footballer, who reportedly played professionally in Brazil, was immediately arrested.
The NDLEA said Hunkarin admitted during interrogation that he had previously trafficked drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia on two occasions while pursuing his football career.
Following their arrest, both men were arraigned on a three-count charge relating to the unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
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 in the latest offence, bringing his total sentence to 22 years.
Hunkarin received a two-year prison sentence for conspiracy, also without the option of a fine.
During the trial, NDLEA prosecutor Adekunle Adebajo reminded the court that Chinedu had jumped bail after his 2015 arraignment before Justice Salihu Saudi and urged the court to impose appropriate punishment under the NDLEA Act.
Although defence lawyers pleaded for leniency and requested non-custodial penalties, the court rejected the appeals and ordered both convicts to serve their prison terms.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the court for reinforcing the fight against drug trafficking.
Marwa also commended NDLEA officers for tracking and rearresting Chinedu after nearly 10 years on the run, describing the operation as proof of the agency’s persistence in ensuring that drug traffickers face justice regardless of how long they evade arrest.
