Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested ex-international football player Segun George Hunkarin and his business associate, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, over an attempt to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.Chinedu, known for frequent travels between Turkey and Nigeria, was arrested on arrival at the Lagos airport on Tuesday, 24th June 2025. A search of his carry-on bag revealed 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams concealed inside.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu collected the package from another person during transit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before heading to Nigeria from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Further inquiries led to the arrest of his accomplice, Segun Hunkarin, a former professional footballer with experience in Brazil. He was apprehended at the airport car park where he had gone to collect the consignment. Hunkarin admitted in his statement that he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia during his football career but claimed he had never brought any to Nigeria.
On Friday, 27th June, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport also arrested Europe-based businessman Amen Okoro Godstime for attempting to smuggle 5,000 pills of tramadol 225mg disguised as malaria drugs like Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem to Spain. He was intercepted at Terminal 2 while trying to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain via Casablanca. Okoro claimed he intended to take a train to France, where he resides, and send the consignment to Italy.
At Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, NDLEA operatives intercepted Maputo-based bar attendant Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel on Friday, 27th June. A search of his luggage uncovered 17 parcels of methamphetamine weighing 17.5 kg and three parcels of cocaine weighing 3.05 kg, concealed in bedsheets. He had arrived from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa.
Another passenger on the same flight, 54-year-old Azu Follygan Kpodar, arriving from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was also intercepted. A plastic container of liquid soap marked YPE in his luggage tested positive for liquid cocaine, weighing 1.25 kg. He claimed he bought it while shopping for his wedding in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Seme border area of Badagry intercepted a 26-year-old Beninese national, Vode Jean-Luck, on Tuesday, 24th June. He was caught trying to smuggle 69 balls of skunk, weighing 29.5 kg, from Benin Republic into Nigeria. In Kwara State, notorious drug dealer Mary Bolanle Oladele, also known as Iya Nafi, was arrested in Omu-Aran on Wednesday, 25th June. Various quantities of skunk, tramadol, and flunitrazepam were recovered from her residence.In Delta State, 72-year-old grandmother Mrs. Christy Ejaro was arrested on Tuesday, 24th June, in the Niger CAT area of Warri. Several sachets of skunk packaged for retail were recovered from her.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy also continued across the country. Sensitisation activities took place at several schools, including Yakubawa Model Primary School in Katsina, Police Secondary School in Oyo, Divine Favour International School in Abia, Mater Dei College in Enugu, and others. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers from MMIA, AIIA, Delta, Kwara, and Seme Commands for their efforts, and praised other commands nationwide for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction.
