Somto Bisina
Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, has been charged with six assault-related offences by the Ogun State Police Command.
The singer was arrested by the state’s police on Friday, March 31, after initially resisting arrest on Tuesday, March 29, when they stormed his office.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelApart from resisting arrest and hurting a police officer, Portable was charged with more than six counts to deal with, according to the force’s public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Saturday, April 1.
“He will be charged to court for beating up a guy in Ota, who filed a petition to CP Ogun, There are many pending cases of assaults on people and attacks, and he will be investigated because people have complained against him,” he wrote in the tweet.
The state’s police issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Portable to report himself to the nearest police station or be arrested by Friday, March 31. The invitation was issued to the singer in a statement by the state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi.
Confirming the arrest, Odeyemi said that the controversial singer is being held at police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.
It was also detailed that the police moved to arrest Portable after he refused to honour five different invitations sent to him for a conversation.
In a viral video, the singer who referred to himself as “a federal Government liability” can be seen lamenting in Yoruba that Yahoo boys sent the police to arrest him.
READ ALSO:Police To Prosecute Portable For Verbally Assaulting Officers
Charges
Some of his charges read, “That you, BADMUS HABEEB OKIKIOLA, M A.KA PORTABLE, and others now at large on the 28th day of March 2023 at 11:00hrs at Odogwu Bar, Oke-Osa, Ilogbo, Ifo in the Ifo Magisterial District did willfully cause or inflict physical injury on one Inspector Hammed Moshood ‘m’ with your elbow on his nose which caused blood to gush out from his nose and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 4 (1) of the Violence against persons & Prohibition Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria, 2017.
“That you, BADMUS HABEEB OKIKIOLA M A.KA PORTABLE on the same date, time and place in the Magisterial mentioned above District, did resist to be arrested by Inspector Hammed Moshood ‘m’, ASP Gregory Iyoha ‘m’, and ASP Kunle Badmus ‘m’ after serving you with Police Invitation Letter on the 20 day of January 2023 for the offences you committed when they were about to discharge their duty with a warrant of arrest on you, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 197 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria, 2006.”
Defence
Portable’s counsel, Adodo Destiny, had prayed the court to grant the singer bail.
Delivering his ruling on the bail application made by his counsel, the magistrate, A.S Shoneye, said the offences were bailable and immediately granted him bail with a bail bond of N300,000 and two sureties who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.
The court, however, ruled that Portable be transferred to the Ilaro correctional centre, pending the time his bail requirements are met. The case was adjourned to the 26th of April for the commencement of trial.
