Nigerian singer Qing Madi, born Chimamanda Chukwuma, is at the centre of a legal dispute between her former label JTon Music and her current label KFMD. The central issue is straightforward enough: JTon says its contracts with the artist are binding; KFMD says those contracts were signed when she was 16 years old, making them voidable under Lagos State law; and on May 25, 2026, the Lagos High Court largely agreed with the latter.
The ruling, delivered by Justice T.B. Sunmonu, found that the management contracts JTon relies on were executed when Qing Madi was a minor. Under the Child’s Right Law of Lagos State 2015, the age of majority is 18. The court classified the agreements as infancy contracts, found them voidable, and ruled that Qing Madi had validly repudiated them upon reaching adulthood. The court also dismissed JTon‘s attempts to prevent her from benefiting from third-party deals including one with Riot Games, freeze her revenue, and silence her and her family. The one order JTon did win was a narrow temporary injunction — restraining her from releasing or performing specific recordings that were produced and financed under JTon, pending full resolution of the case. Her new and independent music is not affected.
Qing Madi had terminated her relationship with JTon in May 2025, citing two grounds: that she had signed as a minor and could void the contracts as an adult, and that she had lost confidence in JTon‘s management, including a failure to conduct the required yearly audits. She also alleged the label had removed one of her songs from Spotify and directed harassment toward her. JTon denied all of it, calling the harassment claims false and clarifying that it was the label, not the artist, that had been taken to court — though KFMD pushed back on that framing directly, pointing out that in Suit No LD/5242CMW/2025, JTon is listed as the claimant and Qing Madi as the defendant who successfully defended herself.
JTon‘s public statement framed the matter as a straightforward commercial dispute, stating: “This matter is not about intimidation, bullying, or any threat to her person,” it read. “It is a legal and commercial dispute concerning rights, obligations, investment, and the protection of works and opportunities developed during the course of a professional relationship.” The label also noted its recording and distribution agreements with Sony Music and Bu Vision, and said any recordings falling under those arrangements could not be released outside the agreed structure without authorisation.
The case is ongoing. But for now, the court has confirmed what Qing Madi and KFMD have been arguing — that a contract signed at 16 does not have to follow you into adulthood, and that she has the legal right to move forward on her own terms.
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With £1m what would you do: I would do my part to provide opportunities to the less fortunate. Then do my best to change the world in my own way through sports and talent building.
