NDLEA Hunts Down Fugitive Drug Kingpin After 10 Years, Ex-International Footballer Jailed in Cocaine Bust

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

In a dramatic conclusion to a decade-long manhunt, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured a combined 24-year jail term against a fugitive drug kingpin who evaded justice for nearly 10 years and a former international footballer linked to a cocaine trafficking syndicate, in what the agency described as a strong message that no trafficker can outrun the law.

Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted and sentenced fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Chinedu, to 22 years imprisonment, while former professional footballer Segun Hunkarin was sentenced to two years for their roles in the unlawful importation of cocaine into Nigeria.

The landmark judgment capped a case that began in 2015 when Chinedu was first arraigned for importing 6.250 kilogrammes of cocaine. After pleading not guilty and securing bail, he absconded midway through trial, disappearing for almost a decade before being tracked down by NDLEA operatives.

His arrest came on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to smuggle another 800 grammes of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Monday, said investigations revealed that Chinedu, a frequent traveller involved in the clothing trade between Turkey and Nigeria, had collected the drug consignment during a stopover in Ethiopia before heading to Lagos.

He noted that further surveillance led operatives to former professional footballer Segun Hunkarin, who was waiting in the airport car park to receive the illicit consignment.

During interrogation, Hunkarin admitted he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career in South America.

Delivering judgment, Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional two years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800 grams of cocaine in 2025.

Hunkarin received a two-year prison sentence on the conspiracy charge, bringing the total jail terms handed down to both convicts to 24 years.

The court rejected appeals by defence lawyers seeking non-custodial punishment through fines, holding that the offences warranted custodial sentences after reviewing the evidence and legal authorities presented by the prosecution.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), hailed the verdict as proof that drug traffickers cannot permanently escape justice.

He said the successful re-arrest of Chinedu after nearly a decade underscored the agency’s determination, patience and intelligence-led operations in pursuing fugitives irrespective of how long they remain on the run.

Marwa also commended the judiciary for reinforcing Nigeria’s anti-drug campaign and praised the officers involved in the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the case.

He reaffirmed his agency’s commitment to pursuing traffickers across borders and bringing them to justice, regardless of their social status, profession or the length of time spent in hiding.