Ruggedman Debunks PMAN Theft Allegations

Veteran Nigerian rapper and activist Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, popularly known as Ruggedman, has strongly denied reports of his alleged arrest and involvement in a theft at the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) secretariat in Lekki. He made the statement in a video released on his Instagram page on Saturday.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who reached out. Thank you all for the love and support always,” Ruggedman began, addressing fans and industry colleagues who showed concern following the circulation of the reports.

Refuting the viral claims, Ruggedman stated: “This is Ruggedman, Ruggedy Baba. I know some of you have been seeing some information flying around that I was arrested alongside some great Nigerian musicians like Sunny Neji, Zaaki Azzay, and Boniface Itodo. It sounds really stupid when I think about even saying it—for stealing money.”

The rapper clarified that no arrest was made and described the story as a deliberate attempt to damage the reputations of respected artists. “Let me just tell you this quickly, the information you have been reading is false. It is fake. It is just a smear campaign by a disgruntled human being,” he said. “If you know Ruggedman, you know what I have been doing most of the time is fighting for people, speaking up for the voiceless. And that has never changed. That is exactly what is happening right now. That is what led to this.”

Shedding light on the root of the controversy, Ruggedman revealed that a petition had been written against him and others by a former PMAN President. “There was a petition written against myself, Sunny Neji, Zaaki Azzay, Boniface Itodo, and others. It is not about us stealing money. It’s about money missing in an office which has not been proved. No evidence stating that they saw me with money,” he said.

He accused Pretty Okafor, the former PMAN President, of instigating the petition out of bitterness after being suspended from office. “This petition was written by one old musician like this. Some of you probably won’t know him. His name is Pretty Okafor. He was the former President of PMAN. He was suspended on the grounds of some illegal actions he took against PMAN, which, according to the constitution, allows the NWC to suspend him because of those bad actions. And that was what the NWC rightfully did,” Ruggedman explained.

Highlighting the absurdity of the claims, he added: “The same people who suspended him are the same people he wrote a petition against that money is missing. Missing where? In the same PMAN office that all of us go to once in a while to have our PMAN meetings. So you see how this is going?”

He continued: “We suspended him for illegal actions against the union, and suddenly there is a petition against the people who suspended him that money is missing—not that we stole money. So he still has to prove that he saw us holding money.”

Ruggedman was emphatic about the need for responsible journalism. “I will tell you media houses, you are spreading false information. Do not help a bad person to smear the image of good people. Don’t do that. I will advise you take down those publications. Come to me or go to the court to find out exactly what is going on. And then you can share the right information.”

He concluded by reiterating that the entire incident was a malicious attempt to tarnish the image of distinguished artists. “It is a lie. It is just a smear campaign against dignified artistes,” he declared.