Wale Igbintade
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has ordered the remand of social media influencer, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, and two others in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), pending the determination of their bail applications.
The trio were arraigned before the court by the NDLEA on a 22-count charge bordering on alleged drug trafficking, money laundering and related offences.
In the charge, Kazeem, alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch, was alleged to have conspired to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to London.
While Kazeem alone faces several counts relating to alleged money laundering and dealings in proceeds of unlawful activity, the prosecution also alleged that he used various companies and bank accounts to move hundreds of millions of naira through different entities before directing transfers to other individuals and companies in an attempt to conceal or disguise the origin of the funds.
The three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Abu, urged the court to adjourn the matter for trial and order the remand of the defendants in custody.
However, counsel to the defendants, led by A. Labi-Lawal, SAN, and Chief Benson Ndankara, informed the court that they had pending applications seeking bail for the defendants.
The defence counsel urged the court to hear the applications, noting that the prosecution had been duly served.
Although the prosecution did not oppose the hearing of the bail applications, it urged the court to reject the applications.
Labi-Lawal, SAN, specifically urged the court to grant bail to the first defendant, Kazeem, on health grounds. He told the court that relevant medical documents and other exhibits showing the state of Kazeem’s health had been attached to the bail application.
After hearing submissions from both parties, Justice Kakaki fixed October 2 for ruling on the bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded pending the ruling.
Kazeem was arrested by the NDLEA on August 13 at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to travel to Paris, France.
The agency alleged that his arrest was connected with the seizure of 184.5kg of cocaine at a DHL facility in Ikeja, Lagos.
Under the new 22-count charge, the prosecution alleged in the first count that Kazeem, Sule and Patriarch conspired with Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf, who the charge stated had been arrested in London, to export the cocaine in five consignments to the United Kingdom.
Other counts allege that Kazeem procured a logistics operator to facilitate the shipment and transferred N13.2 million as payment for the export.
Counts seven to 17 contain various allegations of money laundering involving sums ranging from N50 million to N924.24 million and N790.35 million, which the prosecution alleged were transferred through companies and bank accounts linked to the defendants.
The prosecution further alleged that N528.5 million was transferred to a motor company for vehicles allegedly acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity, while another count alleged the transfer of N1.035 billion for motor vehicles.
Count 21 alleges that Kazeem acquired motor vehicles and landed properties between 2024 and August 4, 2026, knowing or having reason to know that the properties constituted proceeds of unlawful activity.