New information has emerged about what led to the arrest of Nigerian rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, and four others: veteran musician Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, Boniface Itodo, and Raymond Lasisi.
The musicians were arrested over allegations of burglary, criminal trespass, and theft of $130,000 from the national secretariat of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in Lekki, Lagos.
Their arrest followed a petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police and Lagos State Commissioner of Police by the legal representatives of PMAN’s embattled National President, Pretty Okafor.
The petition, dated May 12, 2025, and authored by Henrie Eduozor, Esq., accused the musicians of forcefully breaking into the PMAN national secretariat located at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, and stealing the said amount in cash along with two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
According to a copy of the petition, the accused individuals, described as suspended or dismissed members of the PMAN National Working Committee (NWC), allegedly took advantage of Mr. Okafor’s official trip to Spain in August 2024 to declare him suspended from office without due process.
The petition states that their actions were nullified by the PMAN National Executive Council (NEC), which reinstated Okafor and ordered a return to the status quo ante.
It claimed that despite this directive, Ruggedman (Michael Stephens), Sunny Neji, and others allegedly continued to sow discord within the union.
They reportedly convened an “illegitimate” National Delegates Conference where a parallel leadership structure was fraudulently established, backed by a consent judgment procured under what PMAN lawyers described as “deceitful and clandestine” conditions.
The controversial judgment was allegedly secured at the National Industrial Court in Lagos using an address—Lobby D, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu—not recognised as PMAN’s official headquarters.
Okafor and his faction maintain they were never served any court processes related to the suit (NICN/LA/360/2024), rendering the consent judgment null and void in their view.
Matters escalated in March 2025 when the accused persons allegedly staged a forced entry into the PMAN secretariat. They were said to have carted away $130,000 and other valuables. Despite ongoing investigations by the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja, they allegedly returned on May 8, 2025, and again took control of the premises.
The petition noted that perhaps most alarming is the suspects’ claim that they acted under the authorisation of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, which the petitioners described as “deeply disturbing.”
A high-level meeting convened by DCP Akin Fakorede at Force Headquarters, Abuja, had reportedly warned the group to cease all actions until legal disputes over PMAN leadership were resolved. Yet, the accused allegedly defied this directive, leading to their arrest.
The petition also includes what is described as video and photographic evidence of the alleged break-ins, along with documentation from the Registrar of Trade Unions confirming Pretty Okafor as the legally recognised president of PMAN.
A recent statement issued on the incident by the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) under the leadership of Mr. Pretty Okafor also added: “This is not the first offence. The suspects had illegally broken into PMAN’s National Secretariat at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Lekki, Lagos, in March 2025, while investigations into the first breach were still ongoing.
“They were cautioned and granted bail but refused to report back to the IGP Monitoring Unit for further investigation.
“They struck again. On May 8, 2025, they returned — this time with Mr. Fruitful Mekwunye — and forcefully took over the Secretariat a second time, prompting their re-arrest. Contrary to their narrative, this is not about union rivalry — it is about criminal actions that undermine the rule of law.
“They are not being held without legal justification. The Police investigations have been concluded and the case is being prepared for prosecution. All suspects are fully aware of the offences for which they were arrested and are being treated within the bounds of law.
“Mr. Pretty Okafor, National President of PMAN, has demonstrated considerable restraint by refraining from resorting to self-help despite the persistent provocative acts of criminality that began on August 20, 2024, when dismissed and suspended members of the National Working Committee—without any lawful justification—purportedly found Mr. Okafor guilty of several criminal allegations.
“It is pertinent to state that these individuals had no constitutional authority to pronounce such judgment. Nonetheless, defamatory statements and accusations were circulated extensively across social media and vigorously sustained for several months, causing significant embarrassment to PMAN and Mr. Okafor both locally and internationally.
“Investigations into various cybercrimes and related offences had already been concluded prior to the escalation of hostilities by the dismissed and suspended NWC members, who further demonstrated audacity by repeatedly breaking into the PMAN National Secretariat.
“Falsehood cannot prevail over justice. These individuals are not victims—they are defendants in a pending court action and remain persons of interest in ongoing criminal investigations involving conspiracy, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, fraud, impersonation, and misrepresentation.
“PMAN will not tolerate perpetrators parading themselves as union leaders while breaking into PMAN property, and spreading lies.
“The PMAN leadership calls on the media, stakeholders, and the public to disregard all malicious statements and false reports suggesting that the suspects are being detained without due process.”
