NDLEA Case Crumbles, Court Discharges Pretty Mike

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has discharged popular socialite and nightclub owner, Mike Nwalie, popularly known as Pretty Mike, after upholding a no-case submission in a drug-related trial. According to Ireporter Online, the presiding judge, Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa, also cleared the club’s supervisor, Joachim Hillary, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against both defendants.

The defendants had been arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of drugs, and permitting the use of club premises for illicit drug activities. The charges stemmed from a raid carried out at the nightclub in Victoria Island on October 26, during which authorities reportedly recovered 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide weighing 384.662 kilograms, alongside 200 grams of cannabis sativa.

The prosecution had alleged that the substances were intended for use at an illegal drug-themed party and sought to link the defendants to their possession and storage, while also pursuing the forfeiture of the nightclub. However, following the close of the prosecution’s case, defence counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu, filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient and failed to directly connect the accused persons to the alleged offences.

He contended that suspicion alone could not sustain a criminal charge, emphasizing that the prosecution did not establish ownership, control, or knowledge of the substances, thereby failing to meet the legal threshold required to warrant a defence. Delivering his ruling, Justice Lewis-Alagoa agreed with the defence, holding that the evidence before the court lacked the credibility and weight required under the law.

The court further ruled that the allegations amounted to mere suspicion and did not justify calling on the defendants to enter a defence. Consequently, the no-case submission was upheld, and both Pretty Mike and Hillary were discharged, bringing the proceedings to an end at the preliminary stage.