PMAN Crisis: Police Arraign Ruggedman, Three Others For Alleged Burglary, $130,000 Theft

THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on Friday, May 23, arraigned rapper, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, alongside three others, at the Yaba Magistrate Court 1, over allegations of burglary and theft of $130,000 from the national secretariat of Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in Lekki, Lagos State.
According to an online publication, the defendants- Ruggedman, Fruitful Mekwunye, Boniface Itodo and Faga Bem-Paul- were brought to court for arraignment, while two others- Sunny Neji and Zakky Azzaywere- remained at large.
They were reportedly charged with conspiracy, breaking and entry, and cybercrimes, but it was further gathered that these charges would be amended on the next adjourned date, while the accused remained in custody.
Ruggedman and other defendants were arrested following a petition filed on May 12, 2025, by PMAN’s legal representatives, Henrie Eduozor, on behalf of the embattled National President, Pretty Okafor, accusing them of forcefully breaking into PMAN’s secretariat at 4B, Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, and stealing $130,000 in cash, alongside two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
The petitioners detailed how the accused allegedly exploited Okafor’s official trip to Spain in August, last year, to unlawfully suspend him without due process, actions they said were later nullified by PMAN National Executive Council (NEC), which reinstated Okafor and ordered a return to the status quo ante.
The petitioner claimed that despite this directive, Ruggedman, Neji and others allegedly continued to sow discord within the union and convened an “illegitimate” National Delegates Conference, where a parallel leadership structure was 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 (NIC) in Lagos using an address, Lobby D, National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, which is not recognised as PMAN’s official headquarters.
Okafor and his team insisted they were never served any court processes related to the suit (NICN/LA/360/2024), rendering the consent judgment null and void.
The matters escalated in March this year, when the accused persons allegedly staged a forced entry into the PMAN secretariat and carted away $130,000 and other valuables.
They allegedly returned on May 8, despite ongoing investigations by the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja, and again took control of the premises, claiming to be acting under the authorisation of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, which the petitioners described as “deeply disturbing.”
A meeting convened by Mr. Akin Fakorede, a Deputy Commossioner of Police (DCP) at Force Headquarters, Abuja, reportedly warned the group to cease all actions until legal disputes over PMAN leadership were resolved, directive said to have been ignored by the defendants; hence their arrest.
The petition included video and photographic evidence of the alleged break-ins, along with documentation from the Registrar of Trade Unions, confirming Okafor as the legally recognised president of PMAN.