Nigerian rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, widely known as Ruggedman, has found himself in serious legal trouble. He was reportedly arraigned alongside three veteran musicians Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, Boniface Itodo and Raymond Lasis at the Yaba Magistrate Court on Friday, over allegations of burglary and the theft of $130,000 from the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) secretariat in Lekki.
According to reports, the arrests followed a petition filed on May 12, 2025, by PMAN’s legal team on behalf of the union’s National President, Pretty Okafor. The petition accused Ruggedman and his co-defendants of breaking into the PMAN office located at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, during Okafor’s official trip to Spain in August 2024. They allegedly stole the large sum of money in cash along with two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
The situation appears to be part of a broader leadership crisis within the union. The accused, said to be suspended or dismissed members of PMAN’s National Working Committee, allegedly used Okafor’s absence to declare him suspended without following proper procedure. The union’s National Executive Council later nullified the suspension and reinstated Okafor, but tensions remained.
Despite the NEC’s decision, Ruggedman and others allegedly continued to challenge Okafor’s leadership. They reportedly held what has been described as an “illegitimate” National Delegates Conference where they created a parallel leadership, using a consent judgment obtained through what PMAN lawyers claim were deceitful tactics. The judgment was said to have been issued from the National Industrial Court in Lagos using an address not officially recognised by PMAN, and Okafor’s camp insists they were never served the court papers, making the judgment invalid.
Things escalated in March 2025 when the accused allegedly broke into the PMAN office and made away with the cash and equipment. Despite an ongoing investigation by the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja, they reportedly returned to the premises on May 8 and took control once again.
In the petition, the claim that the suspects acted under the authorisation of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police was described as “deeply disturbing.” A meeting held at the Force Headquarters in Abuja had earlier warned the group to halt their actions until the legal disputes were settled, but they allegedly ignored the directive.
A source cose to SaharaReporters disclosed, “The defendants brought to Yaba Court 1 by the police are Ruggedman, Fruitful Mekwunye, Boniface Itodo, and Faga Bem-Paul for arraignment. Sunny Neji and Zakky Azzay remain at large.
“The charges include conspiracy, breaking and entry, and cybercrimes. However, the charges will be amended on the next adjourned date. Ruggedman is currently in custody.”
Also confirming his arrest, Human rights advocate, Harrison Gwamnishu, disclosed the development via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account,
“@RuggedyBaba is currently detained at State SCID Panti on the instructions of a Deputy Commissioner of Police over PMAN issues,” Gwamnishu wrote.
“No proper investigation has been concluded, and he and others are being maltreated.”
Authorities say video and photo evidence, along with documents from the Registrar of Trade Unions confirming Okafor’s position as the recognised president, are part of the case. As the legal proceedings continue, all eyes will be on how this high-profile tussle within one of Nigeria’s major music unions plays out.
By Ezinne Okorie.
