The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an ex-international football player, Segun Hunkarin, over an alleged attempt to smuggle a consignment of cocaine into Nigeria.

The consignment was attempted to be smuggled through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

A statement by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday said Mr Hunkarin was arrested alongside his business partner, Ntoruka Chinedu.

Mr Babafemi said Mr Chinedu was a frequent flyer, known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.

According to him, Mr Chinedu was the first to be arrested upon his arrival at the Lagos airport on Tuesday, June 24.

The NDLEA spokesman said operatives of the agency found 37 wraps of Cocaine, weighing 800 grammes, while conducting a search on his carry-on bag.

“Investigation showed that the suspect was coming from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.

“Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport car park to collect the consignment from him on arrival.

“Hunkarin, who had stayed years in Brazil playing for football clubs, was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.

“In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia, but has never brought any to Nigeria,” he said.

Meanwhile, another Europe-based businessman, Amen Okoro, was on Friday, June 27, arrested by the NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport.

Mr Babafemi said the suspect was nabbed while allegedly attempting to traffic 5,000 pills of tramadol as 225mg packaged as known malaria drugs, such as Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem, to Spain.

He said Mr Okoro was intercepted at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the airport during the outward clearance of passengers on Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain through Casablanca.

“Okoro is into the freight and logistics business between Europe and Nigeria.

“He claimed that on his arrival in Spain, he would go through train to France, where he resides, and from there send the tramadol consignment to Italy for retailing,” Mr Babafemi said.

Meanwhile, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

Some of them included: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Yakubawa Model Primary School, Zango, Katsina; Police Secondary School, Igboora, Oyo; Divine Favour International Group of Schools, Bende LGA, Abia.

Others included Command Day Secondary School, Ojoo, Ibadan; Mater Dei College, Udi, Enugu; Community Girls Secondary School, Yenagoa, Bayelsa; and Fiyinfolu High School, Ikole Ekiti, among others.

(NAN)