Court Orders NDLEA To Produce KCee’s Luxury After 14 Days In Custody

According to Ireporter Online, the order followed allegations that the influencer had spent 14 days in NDLEA custody without being formally charged with an offence.

Justice Ogazi also directed the anti-narcotics agency to respond within five days to a fundamental rights application challenging Afolabi’s continued detention and explain why he should not be released or granted bail.

The judge issued the directives on Thursday after hearing an ex parte application filed by Afolabi through his counsel, A. Labi-Lawal, SAN, under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.

Afolabi was reportedly arrested by NDLEA operatives on August 13, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while preparing to travel to Paris.

In the application, his father, Eric Afolabi, who deposed to the supporting affidavit, alleged that his son had remained in custody since his arrest without being informed of the specific offence for which he was detained or being formally brought before a competent court.

Following the hearing, Justice Ogazi ordered that the NDLEA be served with the ex parte motion, enrolled order and other relevant court processes within four working days.

The court further directed the agency to file its response within five days of receiving the documents and produce Afolabi on the next adjourned date for the hearing of the substantive application.

The case was adjourned until September 9, 2026.

Afolabi’s legal team argued that keeping him in custody beyond the constitutionally permitted period without filing a charge amounted to a violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

In the substantive suit, the applicant is asking the court to declare his continued detention without a formal charge unconstitutional and a breach of his rights under the 1999 Constitution.

He is also seeking an order for his immediate release or, alternatively, bail on liberal terms pending the filing of any criminal charge against him.

The applicant alleged that NDLEA operatives arrested him at the airport and later searched his residence at Movamo Court, Banana Island, Lagos, without showing him or his family members a search warrant.

According to his affidavit, the operatives searched the premises but allegedly found nothing incriminating.

Afolabi further claimed that the operatives seized his iPhone 15 and demanded access to the device, allegedly threatening him with bodily harm if he refused to provide the password.

He maintained that the phone contained private information belonging to him and his wife and that no narcotics, drug-related transactions, communications or other evidence linking him to an offence were discovered.

The businessman also accused the NDLEA of taking and circulating photographs and videos of him while in custody, which he alleged portrayed him as a criminal before any trial or conviction.

He argued that the alleged publication violated his constitutional rights to dignity and privacy and subjected him to embarrassment, ridicule and humiliation.

Consequently, Afolabi is seeking ₦100 million in damages over the alleged circulation of his photographs and videos, ₦50 million for alleged unlawful arrest and detention, and another ₦40 million for the alleged invasion of his home and telephone privacy.

He is also asking the court to order the NDLEA to return items allegedly seized from him, including foreign currency, luxury wristwatches, designer bags, electronic devices and vehicles.

Among the items listed are €8,000, £3,000, a Patek Philippe Nautilus wristwatch, an Audemars Piguet wristwatch with three bangles, Hermès bags, a Louis Vuitton travel box, an iPhone 15, a Lexus RX350 and a 2024 Toyota Hilux.

Afolabi claimed that the items were not purchased with proceeds from narcotics or any criminal activity.

He also raised concerns about his health, alleging that he suffers from acute and severe asthma and requires urgent medical treatment that he believes cannot be adequately provided at the facility where he is being held.

The applicant told the court that he has a permanent residence in Lagos, strong family and business ties in Nigeria and is willing to surrender his international passport and comply with any bail conditions imposed by the court.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA has linked Afolabi’s arrest to an investigation into the interception of 184.50 kilogrammes of cocaine allegedly connected to an international drug trafficking network.

The agency alleged that the network used Nigeria as a transit route for cocaine shipments destined for the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. It further stated that its investigation resulted in the seizure of foreign currencies, luxury items and searches connected to the investigation.

The court is expected to hear the substantive application on September 9, when the NDLEA is expected to produce Afolabi and respond to the allegations contained in his fundamental rights suit.