The Federal High Court in Lagos has rejected the bail application of Nigerian businessman and social media influencer Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, over alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering, ruling that the defence failed to provide sufficient medical evidence to justify his release.

Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the ruling on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, holding that the application lacked the necessary medical certificate to establish special circumstances warranting bail on health grounds.

“There is no medical certificate to warrant the court to grant him bail,” the judge said.

He added that a defendant claiming to require special medical attention should provide an expert assessment explaining the condition and the need for the requested treatment.

KC Luxury’s lawyer, Emefo Etudo, had asked the court to release his client so he could receive specialised treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). The defence argued that his health had deteriorated and that he required medical attention beyond what was available at the facility where he was being held.

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The application followed concerns about the defendant’s health after he was brought to the court premises in an ambulance on October 23 while receiving oxygen.

During that proceeding, a nurse attached to the Police Hospital in Falomo, Lagos, told the court that KC Luxury had been admitted on October 7 and diagnosed with asthma and sepsis.

The nurse said the defendant remained inside the ambulance because he was receiving oxygen and could not safely be moved into the courtroom.

The defence also alleged that KC Luxury had suffered a collapsed lung and needed specialist care. However, the prosecution opposed the bail request, arguing that the medical evidence did not establish that his condition could not be managed while in custody.

In his ruling, Justice Kakaki reviewed the medical exhibits submitted by the defence but held that they did not sufficiently establish the special circumstances required to grant bail.

The judge also noted that the defence had failed to demonstrate a material change in circumstances that would justify reconsidering the application.

He questioned the argument that KC Luxury needed treatment at LUTH without sufficient evidence showing that the hospital or other available medical facilities could not adequately manage his condition.

Despite refusing bail, the court directed officials of the Ikoyi Custodial Centre to ensure that the defendant had unrestricted access to doctors and medical specialists for examination and treatment.

The judge also ordered an accelerated hearing of the case and adjourned proceedings until November 2, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

KC Luxury is standing trial alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch on a 22-count charge filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The charges include allegations of conspiring to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom and money laundering. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.

According to the NDLEA, the cocaine was intercepted at a courier facility in Lagos before it could be exported. The agency also accused the defendants of involvement in financial transactions and asset acquisitions allegedly connected to the suspected drug operation.

The defendants have yet to be convicted, and the allegations remain before the court.

The latest ruling means KC Luxury will remain in custody while the criminal proceedings continue, with the court directing that his medical needs be addressed during detention.

Former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has declared his readiness to contribute to Nigeria’s development in any capacity deemed appropriate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while clarifying that he is not seeking a government appointment.

Adesina made the declaration on Tuesday after meeting Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he briefed the President on his 10-year tenure at the continental development finance institution and its financial support for Nigeria.

The former AfDB president said his willingness to serve was motivated by patriotism and a sense of responsibility to his country, rather than a desire to secure a political position.

“I’m fully able to help Nigeria in any capacity. I’ve always had that. My heart is always at home,” he told journalists after the meeting.

He added that he was prepared to contribute wherever the President considered his experience and expertise useful.

“In any capacity that His Excellency feels I can help, I can help in anything. I’m not looking for a job. I’m not looking for anything. I’m just here to help,” Adesina said.

“It’s my country. I have a duty, an obligation and a responsibility to do so, and I will.”

Adesina briefs Tinubu on AfDB achievements

Adesina explained that the visit was an opportunity to formally inform Tinubu that he had completed his two terms as AfDB president and to present an account of the bank’s achievements during his leadership.

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He said the bank provided approximately $7 billion in financing to Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, compared with total financing of $11.1 billion since it began operations in Nigeria in 1971.

According to him, the financing provided during his decade at the helm represented approximately 63 per cent of the bank’s cumulative support to Nigeria over the period.

Adesina said Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the bank’s contributions and the projects supported during his tenure.

The former Nigerian minister of agriculture led the AfDB from 2015 until September 2025, completing two terms as the institution’s president. He was the first Nigerian to occupy the position.

Adesina commends Tinubu’s economic reforms

During the meeting, Adesina also commended Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the harmonisation of foreign exchange windows.

He described the measures as difficult but important decisions, arguing that they were beginning to produce results in some areas of the economy.

According to him, foreign exchange availability had improved, portfolio investors were returning to the country, and inflation was trending downwards.

However, he acknowledged that prices remained high, meaning many Nigerians continued to face pressure from the cost of living.

Adesina also cited improved assessments from some international credit-rating agencies, which he said reflected changing perceptions of Nigeria’s economic outlook.

Despite these developments, he cautioned that economic stabilisation was only the beginning of a broader transformation process.

“You have to also now move from the issue of the reforms and stabilisation straight into structural transformation and also growth and prosperity,” he said.

He argued that Nigeria must now focus on translating economic reforms into stronger productivity, expanded economic opportunities and improved living standards.

Former AfDB chief urges focus on growth and prosperity

Adesina’s remarks place emphasis on the need to move beyond macroeconomic adjustments towards policies that deliver tangible benefits for households and businesses.

His comments come amid continuing debate over the impact of the Tinubu administration’s reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and changes to the foreign exchange market.

While the government has defended the measures as necessary to stabilise public finances and improve economic efficiency, higher living costs have remained a concern for many Nigerians.

Adesina did not announce any specific government role he was prepared to take up, and the Presidency did not announce an appointment following the meeting.

Instead, the former AfDB president reiterated his willingness to contribute his experience in development finance, agriculture and economic transformation whenever the President considered his services necessary.