A Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged popular socialite and nightclub owner Mike Nwalie, widely known as Pretty Mike, and his club supervisor, Joachim Hillary, of all drug-related charges brought against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa upheld a no-case submission filed by the defence, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case that would justify calling the defendants to enter a defence.

The judge held that the evidence presented by the NDLEA did not meet the threshold required in criminal proceedings. He noted that, even taken at its highest, the prosecution’s case amounted only to suspicion and could not sustain a conviction.

Nwalie, owner of Proxy Lagos, a nightclub in Victoria Island, and Hillary had been arraigned on a three-count charge. The counts bordered on conspiracy, unlawful possession of hard drugs, and knowingly permitting the use of the club premises for alleged illicit drug activities.

The NDLEA told the court that its operatives raided the nightclub on October 26 and allegedly recovered 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, weighing 384.662 kilograms, along with 200 grams of cannabis sativa. The agency claimed the substances were intended for use at an illegal drug party and sought to prove that the defendants had knowledge of and control over the items found on the premises.

Prosecutors also urged the court to order the forfeiture of the nightclub, describing it as an instrument of crime.

Defence counsel Chikaosolu Ojukwu countered that the NDLEA had not linked the defendants to the alleged offences. He argued that there was no credible evidence of ownership, possession, or knowledge of the substances by Nwalie or Hillary, insisting that suspicion could not replace proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Ojukwu further submitted that the prosecution’s evidence was inconsistent and legally insufficient to require the defendants to open their defence.

In his ruling, Justice Lewis-Allagoa agreed with the defence, finding that the prosecution’s case fell short of the minimum legal standard. He concluded that compelling the defendants to enter a defence would amount to speculation rather than sound judicial reasoning.

The court consequently upheld the no-case submission and discharged both Pretty Mike and his supervisor of all charges, bringing the closely watched case to an end.