LAGOS COURT REFUSES BAIL IN 184.5KG COCAINE CASE LINKED TO KC LUXURY
KC Luxury cocaine case stayed in custody on Friday as the Federal High Court in Lagos refused bail for businessman Afolabi Michael Kazeem and two others.
Justice Musa Kakaki dismissed the bail applications filed by Kazeem, popularly known as KC Luxury, Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch. The ruling was delivered at the Ikoyi division of the court on October 2.
The three defendants are facing trial over alleged conspiracy to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency arraigned them on a second amended 22 count charge bordering on conspiracy, cocaine trafficking and money laundering. They pleaded not guilty.
Their lawyers, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, SAN, Uche Okoronkwo and Chief Benson Ndakara, asked the court to grant bail in liberal terms. They argued the offences are bailable and their clients would be available for trial. NDLEA counsel Abu Ibrahim opposed the applications and urged the court to keep the defendants in custody.
In his ruling Justice Kakaki said he would not exercise his discretion in favour of the defendants. He cited the gravity of the alleged offences, the severity of punishment prescribed upon conviction and the likelihood that the defendants might abscond if released.
The judge also noted the prevalence of hard drug trafficking and the large quantity of narcotics allegedly destined for an international market. He said the circumstances weighed heavily against bail.
He dismissed the applications, ordered an accelerated hearing and directed that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending determination of the case. He adjourned the matter to November 2, 3, 4 and 5 for trial.
Kazeem is the principal defendant. He is named in 21 of the 22 counts. The prosecution alleges that between July 28 and August 1, 2026, the defendants conspired with Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf to export 184.5kg of cocaine concealed in five consignments through a Lagos based courier company to London.
The NDLEA said the consignments were processed through BOT Express Logistics on Lagos Island and a DHL facility at the premises of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company in Ikeja. The agency said the drugs were intercepted on August 3 and valued the seizure at about N39 billion. It described the interception as the largest cocaine seizure recorded through a courier company in Nigeria.
According to the charge, the shipment was booked under the pseudonym Yemi Ejide, which the NDLEA linked to Kazeem. One count also alleges that N13.2 million was transferred from a Zenith Bank account belonging to Mallamawa Ventures to BOT Express Logistics in connection with the shipment.
Kazeem, also known as Yemi Ejide and Kee Cee Luxury, was arrested on August 13 at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while allegedly attempting to travel to Paris, France. His arrest followed weeks of investigation after the DHL seizure.
The prosecution further alleged that Atandare and Yusuf were arrested in London in connection with the same operation. The NDLEA is treating them as part of the alleged export ring.
Days before the bail ruling, Justice Kakaki had issued an interim preservation order over properties and funds linked to the defendants. The order issued on September 25 followed an ex parte application by the NDLEA. It covered five landed properties, three luxury vehicles including a Cybertruck, and funds in four bank accounts belonging to associates and companies connected to the investigation. The court fixed October 14 for a compliance report on that order.
The bail decision means Kazeem and his co defendants will remain in custody while trial proceeds day to day in November. The court stressed that an accelerated hearing will ensure quick determination of the charges.
All three defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: Federal High Court Lagos proceedings October 2
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