The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced a wave of high-profile arrests linked to international and domestic drug trafficking, including the apprehension of a former Nigerian international footballer, businessmen, and elderly suspects across multiple states.

 

In a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency disclosed that former professional footballer Segun George Hunkarin and his associate Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu were arrested for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

 

Chinedu, a known frequent flyer, was apprehended on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, upon arrival from Turkey via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A search of his carry-on bag revealed 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams, concealed within. Investigations revealed the consignment was handed over to him during his layover in Ethiopia.

 

His partner, Segun Hunkarin, who previously played football in Brazil, was found waiting in the airport car park to collect the drugs and was arrested at the scene. Hunkarin confessed to having trafficked drugs twice in the past from Brazil to Ethiopia but claimed it was his first attempt involving Nigeria.

 

In a separate operation at MMIA on Friday, June 27, Europe-based freight operator Amen Okoro Godstime was intercepted while attempting to traffic 5,000 Tramadol 225mg pills disguised as malaria medication. The consignment was intended for onward delivery to Italy via Spain and France.

 

Meanwhile, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, two passengers arriving from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa on Friday, June 27, were also arrested:

 

Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, a bar attendant in Mozambique, was found with 17.5 kg of methamphetamine and 3.05 kg of cocaine, hidden in bed sheets.

 

Azu Follygan Kpodar, a toy seller based in Brazil, was caught with 1.25 kg of liquid cocaine concealed in a container of liquid soap labeled “YPE.” He claimed to have bought the item during preparations for his wedding in Nigeria.

 

 

At the Seme border, Badagry, Lagos, a 26-year-old Beninese national, Vode Jean-Luck, was arrested on Tuesday, June 24, while attempting to smuggle 69 balls of skunk weighing 29.5 kg into Nigeria.

 

Domestically, major arrests were also made:

 

In Kwara State, notorious drug dealer Mary Bolanle Oladele, alias Iya Nafi, was apprehended during a raid in Omu-Aran. Quantities of skunk, Tramadol, and Flunitrazepam were recovered.

 

In Delta State, 72-year-old grandmother Christy Ejaro was arrested on Tuesday, June 24, in the Niger CAT area of Warri with multiple sachets of skunk packaged for retail.

 

 

The NDLEA emphasized that these operations reflect its renewed and aggressive stance against drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.