Businessman and social media influencer Afolabi Michael Kazeem, popularly known as KC Luxury, was brought to the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday in an ambulance while receiving oxygen.
The court subsequently directed that he be returned to the hospital after a nurse attending to him told the judge that his condition prevented him from being moved into the courtroom.
Kazeem is standing trial alongside Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch on a 22-count charge bordering on the alleged conspiracy to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom and money laundering.
According to Naija News, the defendant was brought to court from the Police Hospital in Falomo, Lagos, where he had been receiving treatment.
A nurse, Bukki Yahya, told Justice Musa Kakaki that Kazeem was admitted to the hospital on October 7, 2026, and diagnosed with asthma and sepsis.
“My Lord, I am Bukki Yahya, the nurse attending to the patient, Afolabi. He was diagnosed with asthma and sepsis when he was brought to the Police Hospital, Falomo.
“He is inside the ambulance in the court premises, but we can’t move him here because he is with oxygen,” she told the court.
The nurse was called to explain the defendant’s condition after a correctional officer informed the court that Kazeem was critically ill and had been hospitalised.
Reacting to the development, defence counsel Emefo Etudo questioned why his client had been brought to court despite his reported condition.
“If, for instance, the defendant was in the intensive care unit and is like this, why should they bring him to court?” the lawyer asked.
Justice Kakaki subsequently directed that Kazeem be taken back to the hospital, stating, “You can take him back to the hospital.”
Following the court’s directive, the defence proceeded with a fresh bail application seeking Kazeem’s release to enable him to receive specialised medical treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Etudo told the court that his client’s health had deteriorated, alleging that he had suffered a collapsed lung and required specialist medical attention.
The lawyer said the Police Hospital had referred Kazeem to LUTH because it lacked the facilities required to manage his condition surgically.
He further alleged that the defendant was withdrawn from LUTH and taken to a correctional centre on October 13, despite his medical condition.
According to the defence, Kazeem’s condition worsened while he was being transported to the correctional facility, forcing those accompanying him to return him to the Police Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Prosecution Opposes Fresh Bail Application
The prosecution opposed the fresh bail application, with its counsel, Abu Ibrahim, arguing that the medical issues raised by the defence had substantially been considered in an earlier ruling.
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Ibrahim maintained that Kazeem’s underlying ailment remained asthma, although the condition might have become more acute.
He also faulted the defence for allegedly failing to provide medical documentation from LUTH showing that the hospital could not adequately manage the defendant’s condition.
The prosecutor urged the court to dismiss the application, describing Kazeem as a flight risk. He added that stringent conditions should be imposed if the court decided to grant bail.
In response, Etudo urged the judge to grant the application on liberal terms, assuring the court that his client would attend subsequent proceedings.
The defence counsel also told the court that Kazeem’s international passport was already in the custody of the authorities.
Justice Kakaki adjourned ruling on the bail application until October 28, 2026.
