On Friday, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, better known by his stage name Ruggedman, and three other Nigerian rappers were arraigned at Yaba Magistrate Court 1, Lagos, on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and theft of $130,000 from the national secretariat of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in Lekki.
On behalf of Pretty Okafor, the association’s national president, PMAN’s legal representatives filed a petition on May 12, 2025, which was followed by the arraignment.
Police sources state that the defendants are Faga Bem-Paul, Boniface Itodo, Fruitful Mekwunye, and Ruggedman (Michael Stephens).
According to reports, Sunny Neji and Zakky Azzay were still at large.
The accusations that are presently pending in court include conspiracy, breaking and entering, and cybercrimes, according to sources who spoke to SaharaReporters. Police have confirmed that the charge sheet will be changed at the subsequent hearing. Ruggedman and the others are being held at this time.
During Pretty Okafor’s official travel to Spain in August 2024, the petition accused the defendants, who were identified as suspended or fired PMAN officers, of illegally suspending him and taking over the union’s affairs.
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The PMAN secretariat, which is situated at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, was allegedly forced into by force, and two Apple MacBook Pro laptops and $130,000 in cash were taken.
In order to install a rival leadership, the accused allegedly called an unauthorized National Delegates Conference. This was supported by a contentious consent ruling obtained at the National Industrial Court using an address that was not acknowledged as the registered office of PMAN.
According to the petition, Okafor’s group considered the decision in suit NICN/LA/360/2024 to be void because they were not served with any legal documents. The suspended members’ acts were later declared invalid by the PMAN National Executive Council, which also restored Okafor to his position as president.
The accused allegedly returned to the secretariat on May 8, 2025, and resumed occupation in defiance of orders from a high-level police meeting at Force Headquarters, Abuja, which was purportedly conducted by DCP Akin Fakorede and recommended that both factions preserve the status quo.
To make matters worse, the suspects were accused of fabricating police support for their acts by claiming permission from the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, a charge the petitioners called “deeply disturbing.”
In addition to a letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions confirming Pretty Okafor as the rightful president of PMAN, the petitioners claimed to have photographic and video proof of the break-ins.
