An Abuja High Court has ruled that singer Douglas Jack Agu, popularly known as Runtown, is still bound by the recording contract he signed with Eric Many Limited in 2016.
In an enrolment order dated July 16, 2026, Justice O.A. Musa held that the recording agreement entered into by both parties in June 2016 remains valid and has not been legally terminated.
The court found that Runtown breached multiple terms of the contract by unilaterally withdrawing from the label’s management and allowing his company, Sparrow Media, led by Obianife Onyi Agu, also known as Jack Sparrow, to handle his bookings while the agreement was still in force.
Justice Musa further ruled that the artiste violated the contract by collaborating with foreign musicians on the songs Call Me and Weekend without informing the label, and by attempting to trademark his stage names despite having assigned the licensing rights to Eric Many under the agreement.
The court issued a perpetual injunction restraining Runtown, his agents and representatives from recording music, performing at concerts or undertaking any commercial musical activities outside the claimant’s management until he fulfils his contractual obligations.
The court further ordered the singer to specifically perform the recording agreement by delivering master recordings sufficient for one album to Eric Many in line with the contract.
Musa also directed Runtown to pay Eric Many Limited N266,694,755.08, being the outstanding balance of the label’s investment and expenses yet to be recouped under the agreement.
The court awarded an additional N50 million as general damages for breach of contract, N3 million as the cost of the suit and ordered that the judgment sums attract 10 per cent annual post-judgment interest until fully liquidated.
“A declaration is made that the 1st defendant is in breach of clause 8 of the recording agreement dated 22nd June, 2016 when he unilaterally opted out of the claimant’s management and allowed the 2nd defendant to hold himself out, with his organization “Sparrow Media”, as the person in charge of the 1st defendant’s management and bookings during the subsistence of the contract between the claimant and the 1st defendant,” the order reads.
“A declaration is made that the 1st defendant is in breach of clause 4.4.1 of the recording agreement dated 22nd June, 2016 when he, without proper advance notification to the claimant to enable it to enter into protective agreement with the relevant third parties, collaborated and recorded two musical videos ‘Call Me’ and ‘Weekend’ with two foreign musical artists.
“A declaration is made that the 1st defendant is in breach of clause 9.5.2 of the recording agreement dated 22nd June, 2016, when he applied to the 3rd defendant to register his professional names as trademarks, in breach of the parties’ contract licensing the said names to the claimant during the subsistence of the parties’ contract and three years thereafter.
“A perpetual injunction is issued restraining the 1st defendant (whether by himself or by his agents including the 2nd defendant) from further breaches of the recording agreement, by performing at any musical show or concert or by recording or producing musical works whether in a live show or concert, or produced in any format be it CDs, VCDs, DVDs, or transmitted via any media be it television, radio, iTunes, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or other new media, without doing so under the claimant’s management until the 1st defendant has discharged all his obligations to the claimant under parties’ contract.
“Specific performance is ordered of the recording services clause (clause 4) of the recording agreement dated 22nd June, 2016 against the 1st defendant, to wit, the 1st defendant is to record and deliver to the claimant, master recordings to constitute one (1) album, and the obligation to be performed in line with the provisions of clauses 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.2 and 4.3 of the contract.
“Specific performance is ordered of the recoupment clause (clause 12) of the recording agreement dated 22nd June, 2016 against the 1st defendant, to wit, payment by the 1st defendant of the sum of ₦266,694,755.08 to the claimant in bulk forthwith, or through the means specified in parties’ contract, being the outstanding balance from the claimant’s investment and expenses on the contract, which is yet to be recouped by the claimant.
“I award ₦50,000,000 only as general damages against the 1st defendant in favour of the claimant for breach of contract. I assess the cost of the suit at ₦3,000,000 only in favour of the claimant against the 1st defendant. I award post-judgment interest on the judgment sums at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of this judgment until final liquidation.”
The dispute between Runtown and Eric Many, owned by businessman Okwudili ‘Dilly’ Umenyiora, dates back to 2016 after the singer sought to exit the contract.
Eric Many had accused the artiste of accepting performance bookings, releasing music and planning international tours without the label’s approval, triggering multiple legal proceedings in Nigeria and the United States.
