A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has discharged nightclub owner Pretty Mike and club supervisor Joachim Hillary after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a case against them.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ambrose Alagoa held that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency did not present sufficient evidence to warrant the defendants entering a defence, effectively bringing the case to an end at an early stage.
The duo had been arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, unlawful possession of hard drugs, and allegedly permitting drug-related activities at Pretty Mike’s Proxy Lagos nightclub located in Victoria Island.
According to the NDLEA, officers carried out a raid on October 26, 2025, during which they reportedly recovered 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as laughing gas, weighing over 384 kilograms, alongside 200 grams of cannabis sativa. The agency had claimed the substances were meant for an illegal drug party and also sought forfeiture of the nightclub as an instrument of crime.
However, the defence team, led by Chikaosolu Ojukwu, challenged the prosecution’s case through a no case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was weak, inconsistent, and failed to directly link the ಆರೋಪants to the alleged offences.
They further maintained that the prosecution did not prove ownership, control, or knowledge of the substances, which are critical elements required to establish criminal liability.
In his ruling, Justice Alagoa agreed with the defence, stating that the evidence fell short of the legal threshold needed to sustain the charges.
With that, the court upheld the no case submission and discharged both defendants without calling on them to open their defence.
The case, which attracted attention following the high-profile raid on the nightclub in October 2025, has now effectively been brought to a close.
