The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a former international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, and his business associate, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, over an alleged attempt to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
According to a statement released Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was arrested on Tuesday, June 24, upon arrival from Turkey via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A search of his hand luggage revealed 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams.
Investigations revealed that Chinedu had received the luggage containing the drugs in Addis Ababa and was met at the Lagos airport car park by Hunkarin, who was there to collect the consignment. The ex-footballer, who previously played professionally in Brazil, was swiftly arrested at the scene.
During questioning, Hunkarin admitted to previously trafficking drugs twice between Brazil and Ethiopia but claimed he had never brought drugs into Nigeria.
In a separate operation on June 27, NDLEA operatives at MMIA arrested Europe-based businessman Amen Okoro Godstime while attempting to smuggle 5,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg disguised as malaria drugs (Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem) to Spain via Royal Air Maroc. Okoro claimed he intended to take a train to France upon arrival, then ship the drugs to Italy for distribution.
At Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, NDLEA officers intercepted 38-year-old Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, a bar attendant based in Maputo, Mozambique, arriving from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa. A search of his luggage uncovered parcels of methamphetamine weighing 17.5 kg and cocaine weighing 3.05 kg hidden in bedsheets.
Another passenger on the same flight, 54-year-old Azu Follygan Kpodar, arriving from São Paulo, Brazil, was also arrested. A plastic container labeled as liquid soap in his bag was found to contain liquid cocaine, confirmed through forensic analysis.
The NDLEA continues to intensify efforts to curb international drug trafficking through Nigerian airports.
