Following the arrests of Naira Marley and Zlatan Ibile by the EFCC based on allegations of their involvement in cybercrime/internet fraud, people have begun to assume that veteran Rugged man may have played a role in getting them arrested.
This assumption is based on the fact that not too Rugged man and Naira Marley were engaged in a public spat over the subject of Yahoo boys/internet fraudsters.
While Naira Marley defended them, Rugged Marley spoke out against them and cautioned Naira Marley that internet fraud is still a crime.
Naira Marley didn't take too well to Rugged Man's cautionary words and lashed out at the veteran rapper calling him a moron and a nobody.
It's not really surprising that some people believe that Ruggedy baba is behind Naira Marley's arrest.
However, Rugged man has released a statement to clear the air on this:
"My fellow Nigerians and the Distinguished members of the Press, I have read and heard all sorts of comments pertaining to the Naira Marley case and seen the misinformation making the rounds which are quite unfortunate, to say the least. I do not know Naira Marley personally, the same way I do not know the over 300 Nigerians I have gotten justice for against police brutality. I do it because it is who I am.
All I did was caution a young artist, who has influence, against making utterances about an issue that by the global standard is considered a crime. I believe correcting this was the way to go as an elder, but got insulted for this even by those being misled. I never responded to Naira Marley’s invectives nor those of his fans, same way I have not responded to any of the negative comments from social media.
"I note that saying I was “happy in a way” about his arrest has evidently frayed some nerves and for that, I apologise. It was in hope that it would serve as a deterrent for persons who might consider the said ills or need to make a U-turn. It by no means was intended to wish for his downfall. It perhaps was not a good choice of word in hindsight. I do not look forward to anyone’s downfall but rather hope we all learn from the situation.
"I hereby state categorically that I had nothing to do with his arrest. We all must recall that he glorified fraud on a public platform where security agencies like the Police, NDLEA, and EFCC are also on. I am sure they saw his posts and captions the same way we all did. I, however, was the one that cautioned him. I guess this was what led all the darts and arrows my way as literal mortal retribution to my person. Despite the disrespect to my person, I got nothing against him and only longed for him to be discerning and utilise his position of influence appropriately. May God bless you all and yes that includes those wishing me evil and threatening me. Nothing will change who I am and I will keep you all in my prayers,"
Naira Marley, Zlatan Ibile and three other associates who were all arrested together are still in EFCC's custody at the moment.
