Court frees Pretty Mike As NDLEA fails to prove drug allegations

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi on Wednesday discharged popular nightclub owner, Pretty Mike, and his supervisor, Joachim Hillary, after ruling that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency failed to prove its case against them.

The trial judge, Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa, upheld the defendants’ no-case submission, effectively bringing the drug-related prosecution to an end at the preliminary stage.

Pretty Mike and Hillary had been facing charges bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of hard drugs, and allegedly allowing illicit drug activities at Proxy Lagos nightclub located in Victoria Island.

However, the court found that the evidence presented by the NDLEA was insufficient to establish a case requiring the defendants to enter a defence, leading to their discharge.

According to the NDLEA, during an October 26 raid, officers recovered 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) weighing 384.662 kilograms, plus 200 grams of cannabis sativa.

The agency said the recovered substances were for an illegal drug party. They also wanted forfeiture of the club as an “instrumentality of crime”.

However, defence counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), filed a no-case submission. He argued that prosecutors presented no credible or admissible evidence directly linking his clients to the alleged offences.

He further argued that the prosecution failed to establish ownership, control, or knowledge of the alleged substances by the defendants.

Ruling, Alagoa agreed with the defence. He held that the prosecution’s evidence did not meet the minimum standard required to sustain the charges.

The judge upheld the no-case submission and discharged both Pretty Mike and Hillary. He did not call on them to enter their defence.

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