KC Luxury, through his counsel, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, SAN, had urged the court to set aside the August 20 order, arguing that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to extend his detention
By Mmesoma Onwuka
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed an application by socialite and businessman Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, seeking to overturn an order extending his detention by 30 days over an alleged 184.5-kilogramme cocaine trafficking case.
Justice Akintayo Aluko, in a ruling delivered on Thursday, September 17, 2026, upheld the detention extension granted on August 20, allowing the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to continue its investigation.
KC Luxury, through his counsel, Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, SAN, had urged the court to set aside the August 20 order, arguing that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to extend his detention.
The defence relied on Sections 293 to 299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which deal with remand proceedings. His lawyer argued that continued detention amounted to an infringement of his constitutional right to personal liberty.
However, the NDLEA opposed the application, maintaining that the August 20 order was not a remand order under the ACJA but an extension of detention granted to enable the agency to conduct further investigations into the alleged drug trafficking offence.
In his ruling, Justice Aluko held that the ACJA provisions cited by the defence did not apply to the circumstances of the case.
The judge also held that the Federal High Court has jurisdiction over drug-related offences under Section 251(1)(m) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 26(1) of the NDLEA Act.
According to the ruling, materials presented by the NDLEA established reasonable suspicion of a drug-related offence, making the temporary restriction of KC Luxury’s liberty permissible under Section 35 of the Constitution.
Justice Aluko subsequently dismissed the application, describing it as lacking merit and amounting to an abuse of court process.
KC Luxury was arrested by NDLEA operatives on August 13, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while he was preparing to travel to Paris.
The NDLEA had linked his arrest to the seizure of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine at a DHL facility in Ikeja, Lagos. The agency has alleged that Kazeem was connected to the consignment.
The NDLEA had earlier obtained the 30-day detention extension on August 20 to allow it continue its investigation. The court also ordered the preservation of funds in Kazeem’s Providus Bank account and other accounts linked to his Bank Verification Number pending the conclusion of the investigation and/or prosecution.
Kazeem is also pursuing a separate fundamental-rights case before Justice Friday Ogazi, where he is challenging his continued detention and seeking his release or bail pending the filing of any criminal charge.
The allegations against him remain allegations and have not been established by a criminal conviction.