Nigerian rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, was recently arrested alongside veteran musician Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, Boniface Itodo, and Raymond Lasisi in connection with an alleged burglary and theft involving the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN).
According to SaharaReporters, the five were apprehended following allegations of criminal trespass and the theft of $130,000 from PMAN’s national secretariat located at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, Lagos.
The arrest followed a petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police by Henrie Eduozor, counsel to Pretty Okafor, the embattled National President of PMAN.
The petition, dated May 12, 2025, accused the group—identified as suspended or dismissed members of PMAN’s National Working Committee (NWC)—of forcibly entering the secretariat during Okafor’s official trip to Spain in August 2024. They allegedly looted the premises, carting away $130,000 and two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
Further allegations state that the accused unlawfully declared Okafor’s suspension from office without following due process. This action was later nullified by PMAN’s National Executive Council (NEC), which reinstated Okafor and ordered a return to the previous leadership structure.
Despite the NEC directive, the group allegedly continued to stir unrest, organizing what has been described as an “illegitimate” National Delegates Conference and forming a parallel leadership. This new structure was reportedly backed by a consent judgment obtained under what PMAN’s legal team claims were “deceitful and clandestine” circumstances.
The judgment was said to have been secured at the National Industrial Court in Lagos using a non-official PMAN address, and Okafor’s faction insists they were never notified of the proceedings—calling the entire process invalid.
Tensions flared again in March 2025 when the accused allegedly broke into the PMAN secretariat and seized valuables, including the $130,000. Though still under investigation by the IGP Monitoring Unit, the group reportedly returned on May 8 and forcibly took control of the premises once more.
The petition expressed concern that the accused claimed to have acted with the backing of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police—an assertion described by the petitioners as “deeply disturbing.” A high-level police meeting in Abuja, led by DCP Akin Fakorede, had earlier advised the group to suspend all actions pending resolution of the ongoing legal tussle. Their refusal to comply reportedly led to their re-arrest.
Evidence, including videos, photographs, and documents from the Registrar of Trade Unions, reportedly affirms Pretty Okafor’s legal status as PMAN President.
In an official statement, PMAN under Okafor’s leadership emphasized that this was not the group’s first illegal break-in. According to the association, after their first intrusion in March 2025, the suspects were granted bail but failed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, only to return weeks later with an associate, Mr. Fruitful Mekwunye, to take over the secretariat by force once again.
“This is not about union rivalry—it is about criminal actions that undermine the rule of law,” PMAN stated. “They are not being held without legal justification. Police investigations have concluded, and the case is heading for prosecution.”
PMAN further claimed that defamatory accusations and social media attacks against Okafor have been ongoing since August 2024, when the group attempted to illegally remove him from office. These actions, the association said, caused reputational damage both at home and abroad.
Concluding the statement, PMAN warned against false narratives and urged the public to disregard claims that the suspects are victims of persecution. Instead, the association emphasized that the accused remain defendants in an active legal case, with investigations pointing to conspiracy, cybercrime, fraud, and impersonation.
“Falsehood cannot prevail over justice,” PMAN stated firmly, vowing to resist any attempts to destabilize the union through unlawful means.
