As drug-themed parties gain disturbing popularity among sections of Nigeria’s youth, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has issued a stern warning that the act remains illegal and will be met with decisive enforcement.
The agency’s warning follows a weekend raid on Proxy Night Club, located at 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, where NDLEA operatives arrested more than 100 attendees during an alleged drug-fuelled event. Those apprehended included the club’s owner, Mike Nwogu (popularly known as Pretty Mike), and his manager, Joachin Millary.
In a statement on Tuesday, the NDLEA described the event as a brazen show of defiance, noting that the organisers even designed and circulated flyers openly inviting guests to participate in an illegal gathering.
“Any gathering organized for the purpose of consuming, distributing, or abusing illicit substances is an act of criminality,” the agency said. “These ‘drug parties’ contravene the explicit provisions of the NDLEA Act and will be treated as serious narcotic offences.”
The agency condemned the growing culture of hosting and attending such events, calling it a disturbing social fad that fuels the country’s drug abuse problem and serves as a recruitment ground for new addicts.
“Nigeria is currently grappling with a very high prevalence rate of drug abuse, particularly among our youths. These illicit drug parties fuel the drug scourge and actively undermine ongoing national efforts to safeguard public health and security,” the statement added.
Providing details of the Lagos operation, the NDLEA said it acted on credible intelligence and maintained professionalism throughout the raid.
“Our undercover agents conducted surveillance on the facility, made pre-purchases of illicit drugs from within the club, and observed drug transactions between 11 p.m. on Saturday and 3 a.m. on Sunday before disrupting the event and making arrests,” the agency explained.
Following profiling, all attendees were counselled and released within hours in line with global best practices, while the two principal suspects, Pretty Mike and Joachin Millary, remain in custody. NDLEA operatives recovered 384.882 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and other illicit substances from the club’s store.
The agency further warned owners of properties, hotels, and event centres against permitting their premises to be used for such activities, stressing that those found complicit risk confiscation and forfeiture of assets to the Federal Government.
“Those held in custody in the ongoing case will face prosecution while we will file for forfeiture of the property, Proxy Night Club, where the drugs were found,” the NDLEA said.
The agency urged parents, community leaders, and concerned citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious gatherings or activities to support its fight against drug abuse.
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