….Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay at large
By Attah Ede
Nigerian rapper Michael Ugochukwu Stephens also known as Ruggedman with three others have been arraigned before a Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos State by the Nigeria Police.
Those arraigned alongside Ruggedman (Michael Stephens) were Fruitful Mekwunye, Boniface Itodo and Faga Bem-Paul, while Sunny Neji and Zakky Azzay, were said to be at large as at the time of arrangement.
They were arraigned over allegations of burglary, conspiracy, and theft of $130,000 from the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) national secretariat in Lekki.
The legal representatives of PMAN had on behalf of the association’s National President, Pretty Okafor written a petition against the accused on May 12, 2025.
It is a case of conspiracy, breaking and entry, and cybercrimes that was instituted against them..
The petition accused the defendants—described as suspended or dismissed PMAN officials—of taking advantage of Pretty Okafor’s official trip to Spain in August 2024 to unlawfully suspend him and take over the union’s operations.
They were alleged to have forcibly broken into the PMAN secretariat, located at 4B Hameed Kasumu Street, Chevy View Estate, Lekki, and carted away $130,000 in cash as well as two Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
The suspects allegedly organized an unauthorized National Delegates Conference, where a new parallel leadership was installed.
