ABEOKUTA – Following the expiration of a 72-hour ultimatum given to the famous singer, Habeeb Okikiola, commonly called Portable, the Ogun State police command has arrested the singer for refusing to honour the invitation.
Early on Tuesday, two videos of the musician raining curses and attacking officers of the Nigeria police surfaced on the internet.
Displeased by the conduct of Mr. Okikiola toward the officers, the police gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the singer, a request that should elapse today, Friday.
The police who condemned the singer’s actions also threatened to prosecute him.
In the two videos, Portable claimed that an internet fraudster had brought the police to his bar to arrest staff members “for no reason.”
But the police noted that it acted on a petition.
Recall that, an artist Osimusi Emmanuel otherwise known as DJ Chicken reported Portable to the Police in Ogun state through a petition in December, 2022.
DJ Chicken claimed that, Portable led some thugs to destroyed his studio and best him to a pulp.
Parading Portable on Friday, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed that the singer has been arrested and currently cooling his feet at the state headquarters of the police in Eleweran, Abeokuta.
Mr Oyeyemi further said the Zazu crooner was arrested after refusing five invitations.
He said, “As you can see portable has been arrested, there is a petition against him from a Nigerian who has a studio and this guy went to the studio of this man and destroyed the studio and he still ordered his boys to beat, he was beaten black and blue and that was the basis of the petition in the first instance.
“Based on that, invitation letter was sent to him, not once, not twice, not three times, but he refused to honour the invitation. When he refused to honour the invitation, police were sent to effect his arrest and on getting there, he assaulted the officers that went there, but today he has been arrested, he is with with us, investigation has commenced and as soon as we conclude our investigation, he is going to be charged to court any moment from now.”
Oyeyemi emphasized that, being a famous artist does not allow anyone to be above the law.
“That you are an artist or you a star does not make you to be above the law. Nobody is above the law, the law is no respecter of anybody. If you are an artist, if you are celebrity, you are a star operate within the ambit of the law and the law will protect you, but when you take impunity as one of the characteristics of being a celebrity, you will have the law enforcement agency to contend with.
“It is not possible for somebody to become an island on his own, for somebody to become bigger than the law. Everybody, we are all equal before the law and the law take care of anybody who run foul against it.”
Speaking to journalists, the petitioner, Osimusi Emmanuel explained that, Portable assaulted him and destroyed his studio property which necessitated his petition.
“He seized my property, assaulted me and did so many things online and beat me, he disgraced me and threatened to end my career and I’m not contended with that, so I reported at the nearest police station, narrated what happened and write petition against him. That is what led to his arrest.”
