Alleged Assault: Police give Portable 72 hours to report self

The police in Ogun State have issued a 72-hour ultimatum to famous Hip-hop musician Habeeb Okikiola, commonly called Portable, to report himself to the nearest police station or get arrested.

Early on Tuesday, two videos of the musician raining curses on some men of the Nigeria police surfaced on the internet.

In the two videos, Portable claimed that internet fraudsters had brought the police to his bar to arrest his staff members “for no reason”.

When contacted over the phone, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed they issued the 72-hour ultimatum to the controversial singer.

Mr Oyeyemi said Portable had been asked to submit himself to the police or risk being arrested.

He also confirmed that Portable’s father pleaded on his son’s behalf and promised to bring him to the station.

Mr Oyeyemi explained that the police moved to arrest him after five invites were sent to him and another through his father, but he turned them all down.

Mr Oyeyemi further said the Zaazu crooner was invited for questioning after a young studio owner who claimed that portable, together with his boys, beat him to a stupor and locked his studio, petitioned the police.

“On receiving the petition from the police, an invitation letter was sent to him five times, but he refused to appear at the police station. Again, an invitation letter was sent to him through his father; he still did not come to the station.

“The police did not want a breakdown of law and order, so his arrest was to be effected on Tuesday, and now he started with all series of videos, saying all sorts of things. His father has been begging, but we have told him if he refused to turn himself in between now and Friday, he would be arrested.”

In June 2022, it was reported how Portable’s father escorted him to the police headquarters in Eleweran Abeokuta.

This was after he refused to honour the police invitation after he beat a DJ in the Sango area of the state.

Portable has a record of notoriety.

Since his rise to fame in December 2021, a week barely passes without Portable making the news headlines for the wrong reasons.

In June 2022, Portable apologised to Smooth Productions, organisers of popular Nigerian music awards, The Headies, who condemned his outburst concerning the nominations.

In a statement, the organisers condemned the controversial artiste for threatening the lives of fellow nominees.

The fast-rising artiste was a contender who forfeited the Best Street-Hop Artiste and Rookie of the Year awards, according to the nomination list.