In a dramatic overnight raid, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have detained Lagos socialite and nightclub owner, Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, popularly known as Pretty Mike, following a drug-themed party allegedly held at his Proxy Nightclub in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The sting operation, which unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, targeted the upscale nightclub located at 7 Akin Adesola Street, where the NDLEA said it had gathered credible intelligence that narcotics were being used and circulated.
According to a statement released by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives infiltrated the club around 11 p.m. on Saturday and observed the proceedings until 3 a.m., when the event was disrupted “in line with the agency’s Standard Operating Procedures.”
Over 100 partygoers were detained for screening, including Pretty Mike, who was identified as the owner of the club. NDLEA officers reportedly recovered cartons of illicit substances, including Loud (a potent strain of cannabis), and canisters of laughing gas from the club’s store and guests at the event.
“The raid followed intelligence about the drug party,” the NDLEA stated. “NDLEA operatives embedded in the party between 11 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, disrupted the gathering at 3 a.m. on Sunday, October 26, based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).”
The arrest is part of a wider crackdown on narcotics distribution networks across Nigeria. Though no formal charges have yet been filed, the NDLEA confirmed that Pretty Mike remains in custody as investigations continue.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.), commended the officers who carried out the raid, emphasizing that the agency’s focus remains on curbing both drug supply and demand.
“We must maintain a balanced approach to drug control—one that combines enforcement with education and community engagement,” Marwa said.
Meanwhile, in a related operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted 70 parcels of cocaine concealed inside cocoa butter body cream containers destined for London, United Kingdom. The consignment, weighing 3.60 kilogrammes, was seized on October 14 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, during routine cargo checks on an Air Peace flight.
A cargo agent, Lawal Mustapha Olakunle, who presented the shipment for airfreight, was arrested immediately. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of Ogunmuyide Taiwo Deborah, a healthcare worker, and Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi, CEO of Mutiu Adebiyi & Co Travel Agency, at his office in Ikeja GRA.
In another operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, NDLEA officers thwarted a smuggling attempt by Lemena Mark, a 35-year-old Lesotho national, who concealed 103.59 grammes of methamphetamine inside a herbal coffee tea pack on an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for the Philippines.
Elsewhere in Kwara State, NDLEA operatives recovered 21,950 capsules of Tramadol (250mg) hidden inside a 100-litre water heater during the arrest of Umar Abubakar, 40, in Bode Saadu, Moro Local Government Area.
As the NDLEA intensifies its nationwide operations, the arrest of Pretty Mike and the uncovering of multiple smuggling plots highlight the agency’s resolve to dismantle Nigeria’s growing drug network — from Lagos nightclubs to international trafficking routes.
