The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday refused to grant bail to businessman and social media influencer Kazeem Afolabi, widely known as KC Luxury, over alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering, despite his lawyer’s concerns about his health.
Trial judge Musa Kakaki ruled that the defence failed to provide sufficient medical evidence to justify his release.
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“There is no medical certificate to warrant the court to grant him bail,” the judge stated.
He directed the Ikoyi Custodial Centre to give Mr Afolabi unrestricted access to doctors and medical experts for treatment, but ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
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The trial was adjourned until 2 November.
The ruling followed a bail application by Mr Afolabi’s lawyer, Emefo Etudo, who said his client needed specialised treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Duroing previous proceedings on 23 October, Mr Afolabi was brought to court in an ambulance while receiving oxygen. He remained in the vehicle as hearing continued.
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Bukki Yahya, a nurse at the Police Hospital, Falomo, Lagos, told the court that Mr Kazeem was admitted on 7 October and diagnosed with asthma and sepsis.
Mr Etudo told the court that his client’s condition had deteriorated and alleged that he had suffered a collapsed lung. He said the Police Hospital referred him to LUTH because it lacked the facilities to treat him.
The lawyer also alleged that Mr Afolabi was taken from LUTH to a custodial centre on 13 October despite his condition.
Opposing the application, prosecution lawyer Abu Ibrahim argued that the medical evidence did not justify the defendant’s release.
“Your Lordship looked at the application. The ailment is the same. It is the same asthma. But maybe it has become acute; the character and the ailment are the same,” Mr Ibrahim said.
He added that the defence had not presented a medical document from LUTH showing that the hospital could not manage Mr Afolabi’s condition.
Reasons for refusal
In his ruling, Mr Kakaki reviewed medical exhibits AK5, AK6 and AK8, which contained photographs of a person receiving treatment on a hospital bed.
He also referred to his ruling of 2 October, which noted a medical officer’s recommendation that Mr Afolabi be assessed by a consultant respiratory physician or pulmonologist to evaluate his condition, optimise his treatment and prevent further acute episodes.
The judge noted that the recommendation did not establish that the defendant had an illness that could not be managed while in custody.
“Having gone through the records of the court and compared the ruling of October 2, 2026, I hereby discountenance all the exhibits,” he said.
Mr Kakaki questioned the defence’s argument that Mr Afolabi needed specialised treatment at LUTH.
“Is it not ironic that the facility he said he cannot be treated in is the same LUTH he wants him to go for specialised treatment?” he asked.
He also said the defence had failed to establish any change in circumstances to justify another bail application.
“However, changes in the circumstances were not disclosed,” he said.
The judge recalled that the court had ordered Mr Afolabi’s remand in a custodial centre on 16 October.
“There is inability to show special circumstances to warrant bail. I hereby discountenance it in the present application,” he ruled.
He added that the correctional authorities could arrange for a medical expert to attend to Mr Afolabi or engage his personal doctor, if necessary.
“There was nothing stopping the Correctional Centre from calling an expert to attend to the first defendant, or using the first defendant’s doctor if he had one,” the judge said.
He subsequently refused the application but directed the custodial authorities to ensure that Mr Afolabi had access to medical care.
The cocaine case
Mr Afolabi is standing trial alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch on 22 charges of trafficking of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom and money laundering. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.
READ ALSO: KC Luxury arrives court in ambulance, seeks bail for treatment
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned them on 25 September after seizing 184.5kg of cocaine at a DHL facility within the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company premises in Ikeja, Lagos, on 3 August.
The agency valued the cocaine at about N39 billion and described the seizure as its largest interception through a courier company in Nigeria.
According to the NDLEA, the cocaine was concealed in five consignments bound for London, with Yemi Ejide listed as the shipper. The agency alleged that the defendants worked with Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf, who were arrested in London in connection with the investigation.
The agency said Mr Afolabi was arrested on 13 August at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while preparing to travel to Paris.
It also accused him of moving billions of naira through company and personal bank accounts and using some of the funds to acquire vehicles and properties linked to the alleged drug trade.
On 2 October, the court rejected the defendants’ earlier bail applications, citing the seriousness of the charges, the possible penalties and the risk that they might abscond.
Mr Afolabi denied all the charges.
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