Police Arraign Ruggedman, Others in $130,000 Theft Case; Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay Declared Wanted
Along with three other people, Nigerian rapper Ruggedman, whose real name is Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, was arraigned Friday at Yaba Magistrate Court 1, Lagos, on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and theft of $130,000 from the national secretariat of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in Lekki.
The arraignment comes after PMAN’s legal counsel submitted a petition on behalf of Pretty Okafor, the association’s national president, on May 12, 2025.
The defendants, according to police sources, are Faga Bem-Paul, Boniface Itodo, Fruitful Mekwunye, and Ruggedman (Michael Stephens).
As of the time of writing, two more people, Sunny Neji and Zakky Azzay, were reportedly still at large.
According to sources who spoke to SaharaReporters, the court is presently considering charges related to cybercrimes, breaking and entering, and conspiracy. Police have confirmed that the charge sheet would be changed at the subsequent hearing. At this time, Ruggedman and the others are being held.
The suit accused the defendants, who were identified as suspended or fired PMAN officers, of illegally suspending Pretty Okafor and taking over the union’s operations during his official trip to Spain in August 2024.
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They were accused of breaking into the PMAN secretariat, which was situated at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, using force and taking two Apple MacBook Pro laptops and $130,000 in cash.
According to reports, the suspects installed a rival leadership at an unauthorized National Delegates Conference. A contentious consent judgment obtained at the National Industrial Court using an address that was not recognized as PMAN’s registered office served as support for this.
The petition claims that Okafor’s group was not served with any court documents and that the decision in suit NICN/LA/360/2024 is void. The PMAN National Executive Council then restored Okafor as president and revoked the suspended members’ conduct.
On May 8, 2025, the accused allegedly returned to the secretariat and resumed occupancy in defiance of orders from a high-level police meeting at Force Headquarters, Abuja, which was purportedly conducted by DCP Akin Fakorede and urged both camps to maintain the status quo.
The offenders were also accused of fabricating police support for their acts by claiming permission from the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, which the petitioners called “deeply disturbing.”
The petitioners claimed to have photographic and video proof of the break-ins as well as a letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions confirming Pretty Okafor’s legitimacy as PMAN’s president.
