A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi on Wednesday discharged popular nightclub owner, Pretty Mike, and a club supervisor, Joachim Hillary, after ruling that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) failed to establish a prima facie case against them.
The presiding judge, Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa, upheld a no-case submission filed by the defence, effectively terminating the drug-related prosecution at the preliminary stage.
The defendants had been arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of hard drugs, and permitting illicit drug activities at Pretty Mike’s Proxy Lagos nightclub located in Victoria Island.
The NDLEA had alleged that during a raid conducted on October 26, its operatives recovered 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, weighing 384.662 kilograms, as well as 200 grams of cannabis sativa. The agency claimed the substances were intended for use at an illegal drug party and also sought the forfeiture of the nightclub as an instrument of crime.
However, defence counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), argued in his no-case submission that the prosecution failed to present credible or admissible evidence directly linking his clients to the alleged offences. He further contended that there was no proof of ownership, control, or knowledge of the substances by the defendants.
In his ruling, Justice Lewis-Alagoa agreed with the defence, holding that the evidence presented by the prosecution did not meet the minimum legal threshold required to sustain the charges. He consequently discharged both defendants without calling on them to enter their defence.
