A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has once again adjourned a key case over the sale of Grammy‑winning artiste Burna Boy’s early music catalogue because the founder and chief executive of his former record label did not appear in court.
The hearing was set for this week, but the trial was put off until April 20, after Piriye Isokrari, founder of Aristokrat Music, failed to show up. Officials said the repeated absence of Isokrari and his legal team has slowed progress in the legal dispute.
The case stems from a 2024 sale of Burna Boy’s early masters and intellectual property rights from Aristokrat Music to the artiste’s own label, Spaceship Music, which he runs with his mother and manager Bose Ogulu.
960 Music Group, a company that owns 40 per cent of Aristokrat, challenged the sale, saying it was never informed or asked to approve it.
960 Music filed civil suits in both Lagos and Port Harcourt, asking the courts to nullify the transaction on grounds that the catalogue, described in filings as Aristokrat’s “crown jewel asset,” was sold without the consent of all shareholders. The company said such a sale required proper board approval and could not be done by a single executive.
In addition to the civil challenge, the case has attracted criminal scrutiny. The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) has charged Isokrari with fraudulent conversion and breach of fiduciary duty, alleging that proceeds from the catalogue sale were diverted outside the company’s official accounts and away from 960 Music’s share.
The catalogue includes master recordings from Burna Boy’s formative years, which made songs such as ‘Like to Party’ and ‘Tonight’ widely known before he rose to international fame. Ownership of these masters is now in legal limbo as the courts consider both the civil suit to invalidate the sale and the criminal allegations against Aristokrat’s leadership.
For now, neither Isokrari nor representatives of Aristokrat Music have publicly commented on his absence or the next steps as the matter returns to court in April.
