Nigerian rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, alongside veteran musicians Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, Boniface Itodo and Raymond Lasisi, have been arrested over allegations of burglary, criminal trespass, and theft involving over $130,000 from the national secretariat of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in Lekki, Lagos.

Human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu confirmed this on Thursday in an Instagram post, noting that Ruggedman was being detained over an alleged dispute with PMAN.

The artists’ arrests reportedly followed a petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police and Lagos State Commissioner of Police by legal counsel representing Pretty Okafor, the embattled National President of PMAN.

The petition, dated May 12, 2025, and signed by Henrie Eduozor, Esq., accused the musicians of forcibly breaking into PMAN’s headquarters at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, Lagos.

During the alleged invasion, the group reportedly stole $130,000 in cash and went away with two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.

The incident was said to have occurred while Okafor was on an official trip to Spain in August 2024.

According to the petition, the accused, described as either suspended or dismissed members of PMAN’s National Working Committee (NWC), exploited Okafor’s absence to declare him suspended without following proper procedures.

Their actions were later nullified by the PMAN National Executive Council (NEC), which reinstated Okafor and directed a return to the previous leadership structure.

Despite the directive, the group allegedly continued to challenge the leadership, organising what has been described as an “illegitimate” National Delegates Conference and establishing a parallel leadership backed by a consent judgment.

PMAN’s legal team claimed that the judgment, obtained at the National Industrial Court in Lagos, was based on misrepresentation and deceit.

They noted that the court was misled into recognising an address, Lobby D, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, as PMAN’s headquarters contrary to its officially registered location.

Further complicating the case was the claim that Okafor and his legal team were never served with any court documents relating to the suit (NICN/LA/360/2024), leading them to dismiss the consent judgment as null and void.

The accused also allegedly staged another break-in on May 8, 2025, where they forcibly reclaimed control of the PMAN secretariat.

According to the petition, this second invasion occurred even while investigations into the first breach were still ongoing, and despite a warning from DCP Akin Fakorede at Force Headquarters in Abuja, who had instructed all parties to maintain the status quo pending legal resolution.

The petition was supported by video and photographic evidence of the break-ins, along with documentation from the Registrar of Trade Unions affirming Okafor as the legitimate PMAN National President.

In a statement released by PMAN under Okafor’s leadership, the association condemned the repeated invasions, insisting the suspects were not victims of a union power struggle but defendants in a criminal matter.

“This is not the first offence. The suspects had illegally broken into PMAN’s National Secretariat in March 2025,” the statement read.

“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.”

PMAN emphasised that the arrests were legally justified, adding that police investigations have been concluded and the case was being prepared for prosecution.

The association urged the media, stakeholders, and the public to disregard reports alleging unlawful detention and to support ongoing efforts to uphold the rule of law within the entertainment industry.

At the time of filing this report, neither Ruggedman nor the other musicians have issued statements regarding the allegations.

-Leadership