Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years Over Cocaine Importation

Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years Over Cocaine Importation
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Court Jails Fugitive Drug Trafficker, Ex-Footballer 24 Years Over Cocaine Importation

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a fugitive drug trafficker, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, and former international footballer Segun George Hunkarin to a combined 24 years in prison for importing cocaine into Nigeria.

Justice Musa Kakaki handed Chinedu a 22-year jail term, while Hunkarin was sentenced to two years after both were found guilty of offences involving 7.05 kilograms of cocaine.

Chinedu was initially arraigned in September 2015 for importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine but fled after being granted bail, remaining at large for almost 10 years.

His escape ended on June 24, 2025, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to bring another 800 grams of cocaine into Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

NDLEA investigations revealed that Chinedu travelled from Turkey through Ethiopia, where he allegedly collected a suitcase containing the illicit drug before proceeding to Nigeria.

The agency also arrested Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who played in Brazil, while waiting in the airport car park to receive the drug consignment.

During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted to having trafficked illicit drugs on two previous occasions from Brazil to Ethiopia while pursuing his football career.

The duo was subsequently arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and 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 to import the 800 grams of cocaine, bringing his total sentence to 22 years. Hunkarin was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for his role in the offence, raising the combined jail term for both convicts to 24 years.

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Customs Unveils 3,852 Successful Recruits, Adopts Annual Employment Exercise The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the release of the final list of 3,852 successful candidates for its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise and unveiled plans to institutionalise annual recruitment to ensure continuous manpower renewal. Speaking at a press briefing, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the successful applicants were selected across three entry cadres, with 1,275 recruited into the Superintendent Cadre, 367 into the Inspectorate Cadre, and 2,210 into the Customs Assistant Cadre. Adeniyi said the publication of the final list marks the successful conclusion of the recruitment exercise, which commenced in December 2024. He apologised for the delay in completing the exercise, attributing it to the unprecedented number of applications received and the Service’s determination to conduct a transparent, credible and merit-driven recruitment process. According to the Customs boss, the Service received 573,680 applications for just 3,852 available positions, making the exercise one of the most competitive in the agency’s history. He explained that all applications underwent rigorous screening procedures, including computer-based examinations, verification of credentials against the National Identity database, and additional checks where inconsistencies were detected. He noted that candidates who made the final list would still undergo physical and medical examinations before receiving final approval from the Nigeria Customs Service Board. Adeniyi disclosed that the overall success rate was 0.67 per cent, meaning only one out of every 148 applicants secured a place in the exercise. Breaking down the figures, he said the Superintendent Cadre attracted 276,995 applications for 1,275 vacancies, representing one successful applicant out of every 217 candidates. The Inspectorate Cadre recorded 128,604 applications for 367 positions, making it the most competitive category with one successful candidate for every 350 applicants, while the Customs Assistant Cadre received 168,081 applications for 2,210 vacancies, translating to one successful applicant for every 76 candidates. He encouraged unsuccessful applicants not to be discouraged, stressing that many met the required qualifications but could not be accommodated because of the limited vacancies and intense competition. The Comptroller-General said the recruitment reflected the Federal Character principle, with all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory represented. Each state was allocated 105 slots, comprising 35 positions in the Superintendent Cadre, 10 in the Inspectorate Cadre and 60 in the Customs Assistant Cadre, while the FCT received 72 slots under the approved allocation formula. On gender representation, Adeniyi revealed that women accounted for 839 successful candidates, representing 21.8 per cent of the total intake, slightly higher than their 21.2 per cent share of the total applications received. He added that female applicants recorded a marginally higher success rate than their male counterparts, particularly in the Inspectorate and Customs Assistant cadres, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to encouraging greater female participation in future recruitment, especially in operational and enforcement roles. According to him, the exercise also produced a youthful workforce, with a median age of 26 years and nearly three-quarters of the successful candidates below the age of 30. He said the youthful intake would strengthen the Service’s capacity to embrace modern customs administration driven by technology, data analytics and automated risk management. Adeniyi further announced that the Nigeria Customs Service would now conduct recruitment exercises annually instead of waiting several years between recruitment cycles. He disclosed that the 2026 recruitment exercise would commence later this year, expressing confidence that future recruitment would be completed within a single calendar year, from advertisement to the publication of the final list. According to him, the digital systems, screening architecture and verification processes developed during the current exercise would significantly shorten future recruitment timelines. He explained that the annual recruitment policy would enable the Service to plan its workforce more effectively, promptly replace retiring personnel and provide qualified Nigerians with predictable employment opportunities. The Comptroller-General advised successful candidates to rely only on official Nigeria Customs Service communication channels for further instructions, reiterating that recruitment into the Service remains completely free. He urged members of the public to report anyone demanding money in exchange for employment, describing such individuals as fraudsters. Congratulating the successful candidates, Adeniyi reminded them that they earned their positions through a rigorous and highly competitive process and urged them to uphold the professionalism, discipline and integrity expected of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. He also assured unsuccessful applicants that another opportunity would be available later this year under the newly introduced annual recruitment programme.

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