The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the interim preservation of five landed properties, three luxury vehicles and funds held in several bank accounts linked to social media influencer and businessman Afolabi Kazeem, popularly known as KC Luxury, over allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Justice Musa Kakaki issued the preservation order on September 25, following an ex-parte application filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on behalf of the Federal Government.
According to a statement obtained by Saturday PUNCH, the order covers properties, vehicles and funds in bank accounts which the anti-narcotics agency said were reasonably believed to be connected to proceeds of unlawful activities.
The accounts listed in the schedule to the order include an FCMB personal business account belonging to Rabiu Kabiru Lawal, an FCMB corporate account in the name of Next Level Records & Logistics Solution Limited, and a First Bank personal account belonging to Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule. The court also ordered the preservation of funds in other accounts linked to the case.
Among the properties covered by the order are a property at Block 75A, Surulere Way, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos; another property at Block 33, Plot 46AI, Lekki Peninsula, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State; and two plots of land located along Pike Street, Obalende, Lagos Island.
The order also covers Next Level Hotel & Suites, located at Plot 246, 21 Road, Egbeda, Lagos.
The vehicles listed include a grey Toyota Lexus RX 350, a black 2025 Toyota Hilux and a white 2025 Tesla Cybertruck. The vehicles were described in the court documents as unregistered.
The funds specifically identified include N1,090,000.80 in the FCMB personal business account of Rabiu Kabiru Lawal and N59,261,848 in the Zenith Bank account of Mallamawa Ventures. The court further ordered the preservation of all funds in the FCMB corporate account belonging to Next Level Records & Logistics Solution Limited and the First Bank personal account of Sule.
The NDLEA had filed the motion ex-parte on September 16, asking the court to preserve assets it said were reasonably believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, particularly drug trafficking and dealing.
In granting the application, Justice Kakaki stated in the enrolled order that he had considered the affidavit filed in support of the application and the exhibits attached to it before making the preservation order.
The case is connected to a 22-count charge filed against Kazeem and two alleged co-conspirators, Sule and Ikechukwu Patriarch. The charges border on alleged conspiracy, cocaine trafficking and money laundering.
The defendants were arraigned on a second amended 22-count charge and pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Their lawyers, including Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, SAN, Uche Okoronkwo and Chief Benson Ndakara, had applied for their clients to be admitted to bail. However, the NDLEA counsel, Abu Ibrahim, opposed the applications.
In a ruling on the bail applications, Justice Kakaki declined to exercise his discretion in favour of the defendants. The judge cited the gravity of the alleged offences, the severity of the punishment prescribed by law if the defendants were convicted and the possibility that they might abscond while on bail.
The judge also referred to the trafficking of hard drugs as a serious social problem and noted that the case involved a large quantity of cocaine allegedly destined for an international destination.
Following the bail ruling, the court ordered the three defendants to remain in custody pending the determination of the charges.
Justice Kakaki also ordered an accelerated hearing of the case and fixed November 2, 3, 4 and 5 for trial. The preservation proceedings were adjourned until October 14 for a report of compliance.
According to the NDLEA, Kazeem, Sule and Patriarch allegedly conspired with Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf, who have reportedly been arrested in London in connection with the case, to export 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in five consignments to the United Kingdom.
The agency said the consignments were identified by Airway Bill Numbers 2079998314, 8224082370, 2079973571, 7181131742 and 2211893902, with the shipper’s name listed as Yemi Ejide.
In the first count of the charge, marked FHC/LAG/CR/755/2026, the NDLEA alleged that the defendants conspired between July 28 and August 1, 2026, to export the cocaine. The agency said the alleged offence is punishable under Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The agency further alleged that Sule procured Patriarch to facilitate the export, while Kazeem allegedly procured a staff member of BOT Express Logistics on Lagos Island to process the consignments.
Kazeem was also accused of unlawfully possessing the cocaine in preparation for its export.
The NDLEA alleged that N13.2 million was paid from a Mallamawa Ventures Zenith Bank account to BOT Express Logistics as consideration for the shipment.
Beyond the alleged cocaine trafficking, the agency accused Kazeem of moving several billions of naira through a network of companies and personal accounts.
The companies and accounts allegedly involved included Mallamawa Ventures, Fateey Man Multi-Purpose Nigeria Limited, Patonifa Limited, Ade-Lak Resources, Holmestas Global Services Limited and La Capital Enterprises.
According to the NDLEA, the funds were allegedly used for various purposes, including the acquisition of motor vehicles and landed properties, in an attempt to conceal the alleged proceeds of the illicit trade.
The agency also accused Kazeem of failing to declare his assets as required by law.
The NDLEA said Kazeem, who had presented himself publicly as a luxury goods dealer and lifestyle influencer, was arrested by its operatives on August 13, 2026, while allegedly attempting to leave Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
His arrest, according to the agency, followed the interception of the 184.5kg cocaine consignment, which it estimated to be worth approximately N39 billion.
The agency said a subsequent search of Kazeem and his Banana Island apartment resulted in the recovery of exotic vehicles, foreign currencies and jewellery allegedly linked to proceeds of the illicit trade.
Kazeem and the other defendants have denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Federal High Court’s September 25 order is an interim preservation measure. It does not amount to a final forfeiture of the assets, nor does it establish that the properties, vehicles or funds are proceeds of crime.
The allegations against the defendants therefore remain subject to determination by the court as the criminal proceedings continue.
With the trial scheduled for November and the compliance report on the preservation order expected on October 14, the case is set to receive further judicial attention in the coming weeks.
The rewrite preserves the source’s key facts while using legally cautious language around the NDLEA’s allegations and the defendants’ plea of not guilty.
