Controversial artist Okikiola Badmus, better known as Portable, has been taken into custody at the Oke Kura Correctional Centre in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, after failing to satisfy strict bail conditions set by an Upper Area Court.
This development follows Portable’s court appearance on Monday, where he faced defamation charges brought by veteran Fuji musician Okunola Saheed, aka Saheed Osupa.
Portable was granted bail at N1 million, along with strict conditions requiring him to provide two sureties of the same amount. One surety must be either the Chairman or Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, while the other needs to be a property owner in a Government Reserved Area in Ilorin, with a valid Certificate of Occupancy.
According to reports from The PUNCH, the case, recorded under First Information Report (FIR) 117(1) CPC, was initiated by the State Intelligence Department after Osupa filed a petition on March 21, 2025. The petition claims that Portable made defamatory statements about Osupa during a live Instagram broadcast, alleging that Osupa envied his success and was trying to tarnish his reputation.
In the livestream, Portable is reported to have said, “This man is trying to dim my shine! He acts like someone who eats snails with shells—he has no sense. Osupa has a tortoise in his stomach. When Apple Music and Spotify were about to pay me, he removed my song from their platform so I wouldn’t see the money.”
Osupa contended that Portable’s comments were not only defamatory but aimed at inciting public animosity and disrupting peace.
The Kwara State Police Command subsequently received the complaint, which led to the arrest of the street-pop singer, who admitted to the allegations during questioning. SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, a spokesperson for the command, stated that the petition accused Portable of multiple serious offenses, including criminal defamation, threats to life, incitement, character assassination, behavior likely to cause public unrest, and use of abusive language.
Given the gravity of the accusations and the evidence provided, the command obtained a valid arrest warrant from a Magistrate Court in Ilorin. Following this, police operatives arrested Portable in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on April 13, 2025, around 19:25 hours, and transported him to Ilorin for further investigation.
Upon arrival, officers took Portable’s statement in the presence of legal representatives from both sides, and the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Adeniyi James, confirmed that the charges against Portable were issued following police authority directives.
