The Ogun State Chief Magistrate Court in Ifo Local Government Area has sentenced Nigerian street-pop singer Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, to three months in prison.
The court ruling comes after the controversial artist was found guilty of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. However, the court gave him the option of paying a fine totaling N30,000 instead of serving the jail term.
According to court records, the artist’s legal troubles began after an incident in March 2023 when he reportedly attacked a police officer and blocked law enforcement officers who came to serve him an arrest warrant.
The altercation took place at Okeosa in Ilogbo, a location within the jurisdiction of the Ifo Magisterial District.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Olumide Awoleke, told the court that the offense occurred on November 18, 2022, at around 11:00 a.m. He noted that Portable and several unnamed individuals conspired to assault a police officer.
The charge sheet presented by the prosecution read: “That you, Badmus Habeeb Okikiola, aka Portable, and others now at large, on the 18th day of November 2022 at 11:00 hrs, in Okeosa, Ilogbo, within the Ifo Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony, to wit: assault, and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State 2006.”
It further stated that the artist “did unlawfully assault one Osimosu Emmanuel Oluwafemi (male) by beating him all over his body,” which falls under Section 351 of the Criminal Code of Ogun State.
In addition to the assault charges, Portable was also accused of stealing musical equipment during separate incidents in 2022. These included a Yamaha H55 studio monitor, a Studio 2 interface connection cable, and an AKG P420 condenser microphone. These items were reportedly stolen in the same Ilogbo area.
After reviewing the evidence, Chief Magistrate Babajide Ilo found Portable guilty of two main counts. For the first count involving assault, he was sentenced to one month in prison or a fine of N10,000. For the second count, which involved resisting arrest, he received a two-month sentence with an option of a N20,000 fine.
