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Nigerian music veterans, including rapper Ruggedman and singer Sunny Neji, are currently detained at Lagos' SCID Panti over allegations of stealing $130,000 from PMAN's secretariat, marking a dangerous escalation in the association's prolonged leadership crisis. Human rights activists report that the artists are being mistreated without a proper investigation.
  • Artists Arrested: Ruggedman, Sunny Neji, Zakky Azzay, among those held for alleged burglary and theft
  • Petition Power: Arrests follow complaint by embattled PMAN president Pretty Okafor's lawyers
  • Crisis Context: PMAN has been divided since 2024, when Okafor was suspended for alleged financial misconduct
  • Activist Alarm: Harrison Gwamnishu reports detainees facing police maltreatment
  • Leadership Chaos: NWC and NEC factions have issued conflicting suspensions since 2024
What began as internal PMAN governance disputes has now spilled into criminal allegations, threatening the careers of iconic musicians caught in the crossfire.

Should artist unions maintain non-political mediation systems to prevent such escalations?