Controversial street-pop artiste, Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has been remanded in the Oke Kura Correctional Centre in Ilorin, Kwara State, following his inability to meet the stringent bail conditions imposed by an Upper Area Court.
Portable appeared in court on Monday in a defamation of character suit filed by renowned Fuji musician, Okunola Saheed, popularly called Saheed Osupa. The court granted him bail in the sum of N1 million, but the terms, which include the provision of two sureties in like sum, proved too difficult to fulfill.
According to the court’s ruling, one of the sureties must be either the Chairman or Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), while the other must be a property owner residing in a Government Reserved Area (GRA) within Ilorin, with proof via a valid Certificate of Occupancy.
The suit, referenced under First Information Report (FIR) 117(1) CPC, was filed by the State Intelligence Department of the Kwara State Police Command following a petition dated March 21, 2025, from Osupa.
The petition accused Portable of publicly defaming the Fuji singer during a live Instagram broadcast. In the video, Portable was heard saying:
> “This man dey try bring down my shine! He be like person wey dey chop snail with shell—him no get sense. Osupa carry tortoise for stomach. When Apple Music and Spotify want to drop money for me, na him remove my song from the platform, make I no see money.”
Osupa claimed the statements were defamatory, harmful to his public image, and capable of inciting hatred and disrupting public peace.
Following the complaint, Portable was arrested in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at about 7:25 pm by police operatives, acting on an arrest warrant issued by a Magistrate Court in Ilorin.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said,
> “The petition contained several weighty allegations including criminal defamation, threats to life, incitement, character assassination, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace, as well as the use of abusive and offensive language.”
She further disclosed that Portable confessed to the allegations during interrogation in the presence of legal representatives from both parties.
Also speaking on the matter, the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Adeniyi James, confirmed that charges were pressed against Portable based on police directives.
The embattled singer, who rose to fame with his hit track “Zazoo Zeh,” will remain in custody until his bail conditions are met.
More updates on the case are expected in the coming days.
