Some popular Nigerian musicians, including rapper Ruggedman (Michael Ugochukwu Stephens), Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, Boniface Itodo, and Raymond Lasisi, were arrested recently, and here’s why.
SaharaReporters found out that the police arrested them because they were accused of breaking into a building, stealing money, and entering a place without permission. The building they entered is the head office of PMAN, which stands for Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria. That’s a group for Nigerian musicians.
The people who say these musicians did something wrong are lawyers working for Pretty Okafor, who is the President of PMAN. They told the police that in August 2024, while Mr. Okafor was in Spain, the musicians entered the PMAN office in Lekki, Lagos, without permission. They were accused of stealing $130,000, which is a lot of money, plus two laptop computers.
The lawyers also said these musicians tried to kick Mr. Okafor out of his job by holding a meeting and pretending to make new leaders. But the main PMAN group said that meeting was not real or legal.
Even after they were told to stop, the musicians came back again in March 2025, and then again on May 8, 2025. Each time, they took over the PMAN office. That’s when the police arrested them again.
There’s even video and photo proof of what they did, and documents that show Mr. Pretty Okafor is still the legal president of PMAN.
The PMAN group said this isn’t just a fight over who should be president—it’s about breaking the law. They also said that the police are following the law and the musicians will go to court.
According to PMAN’s official statement:
- The suspects were told not to come back after the first break-in, but they did anyway.
- They were given bail earlier but didn’t show up again for questioning.
- The people arrested are not being punished unfairly—they are being treated like anyone else who breaks the law.
- This whole situation started in August 2024, when these men tried to remove Mr. Okafor without any legal right to do so.
- They also posted false things online that caused embarrassment to PMAN and Mr. Okafor.
- Now, they are also being looked into for cyberbullying, fraud, impersonation, and more.
PMAN wants everyone—especially the public and news reporters—to know that this is not just a small problem inside a musicians’ group. It’s a serious matter about following the law and doing what’s right.
