A fugitive drug baron who spent nearly a decade evading justice has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after his rearrest, while a former international footballer received a two-year jail term for drug trafficking offences.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, said the convictions underscore the agency’s determination to ensure that no drug trafficker escapes justice, regardless of status or how long they remain on the run.
The Federal High Court in Lagos convicted and sentenced fugitive drug kingpin Ntoruka Chinedu and former international footballer Hunkarin George to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment for the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria.
According to an NDLEA statement issued on Monday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was sentenced to 22 years without the option of a fine, while Hunkarin received a two-year prison term for conspiracy.
Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 on charges of importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria. Although he was granted bail after pleading not guilty, he absconded during the trial and remained a fugitive for almost 10 years.
He was rearrested by NDLEA operatives on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to smuggle an additional 800 grams of cocaine into the country on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had travelled from Turkey through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected the drug consignment before flying to Nigeria. NDLEA said Hunkarin was waiting in the airport car park to receive the cocaine.
The former footballer also admitted during interrogation that he had trafficked illicit drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while playing professional football in South America.
Both men were subsequently charged over the importation of the 800 grams of cocaine.
Marwa praised the NDLEA officers involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case, describing Chinedu’s rearrest after years on the run as evidence of the agency’s persistence and commitment to tracking down fugitives.
He reiterated that the NDLEA would continue working with the judiciary and other stakeholders to ensure that drug traffickers are brought to justice, no matter how long they attempt to evade the law.