Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday refused to grant bail to Social media influencer Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, and his two alleged accomplices, charged with the alleged trafficking of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom.
Justice Kakaki held, in his ruling on the bail application, that the gravity of the alleged offences, the severity of the punishment prescribed by law and the risk of the defendants absconding weighed against granting them bail.
The judge also noted the prevalence of hard-drug trafficking, stressing that the case involved a large quantity of narcotics allegedly destined for an international market.
The court further ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.
He adjourned the matter until November 2 for trial, and ordered the defendants to remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of the charges.
KC Luxury and his co-defendants, Boniface Sule and Ikechukwu Patriarch, were arraigned before the court on a 22-count amended charge of conspiracy, illegal possession, procurement, cocaine exportation, and money laundering by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
After the pleas were entered, their lawyers, including Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal (SAN), urged the court to grant them bail, arguing that the offences are bailable.
But the NDLEA prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, opposed the applications and urged the court to keep the defendants in custody.