Popular Nigerian artist, Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, better known as Portable, has been taken into custody at the Oke Kura Correctional Centre in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, due to his failure to satisfy the strict bail requirements set by an Upper Area Court.
Portable faced court proceedings for defamation of character and was offered bail on Monday, April 14, amounting to N1 million. The court specified that he must present two sureties of equal value.
The court’s stipulations mandated that one surety be either the Chairman or Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), while the other must be a property owner in a Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Ilorin, with a valid Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) as proof.
Despite receiving bail privileges, the “Zazoo Zeh” hitmaker was unable to meet the necessary conditions promptly.
According to the petition, on March 19, 2025, Portable made a live broadcast on Instagram, where he allegedly defamed Osupa, claiming the complainant was envious of his success and attempting to destroy his reputation.
In the video, Portable was quoted to have said:
“This man dey try bring down my shine! He be like person wey dey chop snail with shell—him no get sense. Osupa na tortoise. When Apple Music and Spotify wan drop money for me, na him remove my song from platform make I no see money (This man is trying to dim my shine! He behaves like someone eating a snail with the shell—he lacks sense. Osupa is like a tortoise. When Apple Music and Spotify were about to pay me, he took down my song from the platforms so I wouldn’t get the money).”
In his statement, the complainant, Osupa, maintained that Portable’s remarks were not only defamatory and damaging but also intended to incite public hatred and disturb the peace.
Upon interrogation at the State Intelligence Department (SID), Ilorin, Portable reportedly confessed to the allegations, police said.
The accused was arraigned under several legal provisions: Section 392 (Criminal Defamation), Section 114 (Inciting Disturbance), Section 397 (Criminal Intimidation) of the Penal Code.
Section 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, Sections 10 and 13 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2020.
The Investigating Police Officer, ASP Adeniyi James, confirmed that Portable was charged based on a directive from the police authorities.
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