Ex-footballer, accomplice jailed 24 years for cocaine
A former professional footballer and an accomplice have been sentenced to 24 years in prison for importing cocaine into Nigeria. The arrests followed a long-term investigation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Why it matters
This case highlights the ongoing efforts of Nigerian authorities to combat international drug trafficking involving high-profile individuals.
A former international footballer, Segun Hunkarin, and a fugitive drug kingpin, Ntoruka Chinedu, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years’ imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Lagos for importing cocaine into Nigeria. Justice Musa Kakaki handed down the sentences after finding the duo guilty of offences relating to the unlawful importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine. According to a statement on Monday by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was first arraigned in September 2015 over the importation of 6.25kg of cocaine but absconded after being granted bail, remaining at large for nearly 10 years. The agency said he was re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
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