The Arrest of a Long-Term Fugitive

For nearly a decade, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu appeared to have slipped beyond the reach of justice. After being arraigned in 2015 for allegedly importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria, the fugitive drug kingpin was granted bail but disappeared midway through his trial. For 10 years, the case remained a reminder of how elusive justice can sometimes appear when suspects vanish.

On June 24, 2025, Chinedu's long flight from the law came to an end at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. He was re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while attempting to smuggle 800 grammes of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an inbound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

An Unlikely Accomplice and the Brazilian Connection

His arrest opened another chapter in the case, leading investigators to an unlikely accomplice waiting at the airport car park. Hunkarin Segun George, an ex-international footballer who had spent years playing professional football in Brazil, was allegedly waiting to collect the consignment from Chinedu. He was promptly tracked and arrested by the agency.

In his statement, Hunkarin reportedly claimed that while playing professional football in Brazil, he had trafficked drugs twice from the South American country to Ethiopia. The former footballer, whose career had taken him across continents, now found himself facing the consequences of a journey that led from the football pitch to the federal courtroom.

The two men were subsequently arraigned before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a three-count charge marked FHC/L/669C/2025 for the unlawful importation of 800 grammes of cocaine. For Chinedu, the new case also revived the old one he had escaped from almost a decade earlier.

Judicial Consequences and Sentencing

Chinedu had first been arraigned in September 2015 before the then Justice Salihu Saudi on a one-count charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015 for unlawfully importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine. The NDLEA identified Chinedu as a frequent flyer who conveyed clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey. Investigators discovered that on the day of his 2025 arrest, he had travelled from Turkey, transited through Addis Ababa, and collected the luggage from another person before proceeding to Nigeria.

At the trial, prosecuting counsel Barrister Adekunle Adebajo reminded the court that Chinedu had previously disappeared after being granted bail. While defense counsel Chief Benson Ndakara and Chief Emefo Etudo pleaded for leniency and fines, Justice Kakaki took a firm position. On Friday, July 24, 2026, the court sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the 2015 importation, and a further two years for the conspiracy involving Hunkarin.

A Message to Fugitives

Reacting to the conviction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary for the judgment. He described the conviction as a reaffirmation of the courts' commitment to ridding the country of drug trafficking and those who perpetrate it, regardless of how long they evade justice.

The re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly 10 years on the run demonstrated the 'doggedness, patience and thoroughness' of NDLEA operatives in tracking down fugitives.

— Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)

Marwa restated the agency's resolve to continue working closely with the judiciary to ensure that persons involved in drug trafficking are brought to book. For Chinedu, the arrest marked the end of a decade-long escape, while for Hunkarin, it marked a dramatic fall from the world of professional sports into criminal conviction.