Court Jails Fugitive Drug Baron 22 Years
A fugitive drug Baron, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, has been convicted and sentenced to a total of 22 years imprisonment, for unlawful importation of 7.050 Kilogrames of cocaine.
He was convicted and sentenced by Justice Musa Kakaki, on Friday, after founding guilty of the charges made against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
His accomplice, Hunkarin Segun George, an ex-internation footballer was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment for conspiring with the fugitive drug baron for importing 800 grams of cocaine into the country unlawfully.
The convicted drug lord, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, was specifically sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for unlawful importation of importation of 6.250 Kilogrames of cocaine, and for conspiring and unlawful importation of 800 grams of cocaine.
He was first arraigned on a count charge of unlawful importation of 6.250 kilograms in a charge marked FHC/L/227c/2015, sometimes in September, 2015.
But while the trial was on and based on his not guilty plea, he was admitted to bail.
However, midway to his trial, he jumped the bail and became elusive. But was re-arrested on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline Flight from Addis-Ababa with 800 grams of a prohibited drug, cocaine.
He was subsequently re-arraigned before the court alongside his co-conspirator, Hunkarin Segun Judge, on a two counts charge of conspiracy and unlawful importation of the drug.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on thursday, Chief Benson Ndakara lawyer to the convicted drug lord, Chief Emefo Etudo, lawyer to the second convict, informed the court of their clients’ intentions to change their plea.
Owing the above, the pleas of the two convicts were retaken after the charges were read to them.
Consequently, the prosecutor, Barrister Adekunle Adebajo, reviewed the facts of the charges.
In reviewing the facts of the charges, Barrister Adebajo informed the court that the convicted drug lord, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, was once arraigned before Justice Salihu Saudi (now retired) sometimes in 2015, for unlawful importation of 6, 250 Kilogrames of cocaine, but disappeared into tin air after being admitted to bail.
Barrister Adebajo, after citing series of plethoras of legal authorites, prayed that court to sentence the convicts according to the sections of the NDLEA Act they were charged with.
But Chief Benson Ndakara, lawyer to the convicted drug lord and Chief Emefo Etudo, lawyer to the second convict, pleaded with the court to be merciful with their clients.
The two lawyers prayed the court to give their clients fine options, in lieu of the jail terms.
Delivering judgment on the matter on Friday, Justice Kakaki, after critically examine the submissions of the parties, the legal authorites cited, and exhibits tendered, sentenced the drug lord to 20 years imprisonment without fine option.
The judge also sentenced both the drug lord and his co-conspirator to two years each without option of fine on the second charge..
