The Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria, has denied businessman and social media influencer Afolabi Michael Kazeem, popularly known as KC Luxury, bail over alleged 184.5kg cocaine trafficking and money laundering. Justice Musa Kakaki ruled that the defence failed to establish special circumstances to warrant bail on medical grounds. The judge insisted that the application lacked sufficient evidence to justify the defendant's release.
KC Luxury's counsel, Chief Emefo Etudo, had urged the court to grant him bail so he could receive specialised medical treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Etudo argued that Kazeem's health had deteriorated, particularly following the collapse of his lungs. However, prosecution counsel, Abu Ibrahim, opposed the application, arguing that the medical evidence presented did not sufficiently justify the defendant's release.
Justice Kakaki directed the Ikoyi Custodial Centre to grant Kazeem unrestricted access to doctors and medical experts to treat any health condition. The judge ordered an accelerated hearing, adjourning the case until November 2, 2026, for the trial to commence. At the last proceedings, Kazeem was brought to the court premises in an ambulance while receiving oxygen.
The court reviewed medical evidence previously presented by the defence, including photographs of an individual lying on a hospital bed receiving treatment. Kakaki recalled that in his ruling delivered on October 2, 2026, the court had noted a medical officer's recommendation that Kazeem be assessed by a consultant respiratory physician or pulmonologist to evaluate his condition.
Justice Kakaki questioned why Kazeem could not be treated in a Nigerian hospital when the same application sought his release to receive treatment at the teaching hospital. The judge said the defence had failed to demonstrate any change in circumstances to justify a fresh bail application. He recalled that on October 16, 2026, the court ordered that Kazeem be remanded in a custodial centre.
A correctional officer from the Ikoyi Custodial Centre, Adeleye Akin, informed the court that Kazeem was still at the Police Hospital in Falomo. Delivering his ruling, Kakaki said he had considered the bail application, the court records, and the submissions of counsel on both sides. The judge held that an applicant seeking bail must provide sufficient, cogent evidence to show why the court should grant the request.
KC Luxury is standing trial alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch over alleged 184.5kg cocaine trafficking and money laundering. The court adjourned the case until November 2, 2026, to commence the trial. Kazeem will have unrestricted access to doctors and medical experts while in custody.
Key points
- The Federal High Court in Lagos denied KC Luxury bail due to insufficient medical evidence.
- The court ordered an accelerated hearing, adjourning the case until November 2, 2026.
- KC Luxury will have unrestricted access to doctors and medical experts while in custody.
