Music artiste, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable came into the limelight after releasing street hip hop single, Zazoo Zeh in 2021.
However, since he came into the limelight in 2021, the artiste has been moving from one controversy to another. He has stayed relevant in the music industry and in the news for purely negative reasons. NewsClick Nigeria takes a look at the various times Portable has been in the news due to one controversy or the other.
Following the release of “Zazoo Zeh,” Portable accused fellow artist Poco Lee of defrauding him of $3,000, music artiste, Wizkid, sprayed him on stage while performing at the Wizkid Livespot Concert. He claimed he got only $600. Also, he asserted that Poco Lee stole his song, Zazoo. “Na me get Zazoo!,” he said in a tense Tiktok video. Upon the song’s release on December 14th, 2021, it identified Poco Lee as the song’s owner and Portable and Olamide as its featured artists.
Portable did not take kindly to it as he took to social media to drag Poco Lee. Due to his behavior, Quadri Taoreed, alias Kogbagidi, his promoter, had to eject him from the hotel he had hired for him. Poco Lee later came forth to deny ripping the vocalist as had been reported. He mentioned that he distributed the funds among the group. The group of three was able to get along again after Poco Lee apologized.
After this, was the case of Portable and DJ Chicken. Former Disc Jockey, DJ Chicken, accused the singer of punching him, Portable was called in by the Ogun State Police Command on assault charges. In a widely shared video, the musician and his crew are shown attacking DJ Chicken, who Portable claims messaged his wife. Ten days later, he brought himself in. After questioning, he was later released on bond.
As soon as the dust had barely cleared, news broke that the singer’s Range Rover SUV had collided with an okada, killing the motorbike rider. The singer’s team swiftly clarified that although the car was his, the driver was actually one of his assistants. The mishap occurred on the day of Portable’s child’s naming ceremony. According to accounts, the driver struck the biker while travelling at maximum speed near the state’s Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government District.
In an interview on the sidelines of the ‘naming ceremony’ shortly after news of the accident broke on the Internet, Portable said, “I did not use my car to kill anyone. I am at the naming ceremony of my child today. I am celebrating my child’s naming ceremony today. I am not the one who hit the person with my car.
“But, I am pained about the person who died. I went to the hospital to help the person before he passed away. May God rest the soul of the deceased. Every disappointment is a blessing.
“We will bless and help the family. By the grace of God, nothing will happen to me. I won’t use my car to kill anyone, talk more of going to jail.”
Portable got involved in yet another controversy after he publicly, boasted of being the founder of a notorious armed robbery gangs in Lagos state, ‘One Million Boys’. “Have you heard of Ajah Boys, One Million Boys? I established them. Go and ask Sammy Larry,” he said in a viral video. The Lagos State Police Command promised to move on with a preliminary inquiry as a result of his claims to be a founding member of a terror gang, which were brought about by his careless comments. He was never detained, despite the serious allegations.
In December 2022, Adekunle Temitope, also known as Small Doctor, and Portable got into a fight in December 2022 after Portable claimed that Small Doctor had once set him up. Portable said during an Instagram live session that Small Doctor previously recruited thugs to ambush him in an effort to portray himself as his savior. He criticized Small Doctor for never helping upcoming artists and for attempting to use him to establish his own brand. Later, after Abel Egbarin, a well-known socialite, intervened, Portable and Small Doctor reconciled.
Also in May 2022, Portable threatened other artists in May 2022 who were nominated alongside him in two Headies Award categories: “Rookie of the Year” and “Best Street-Hop Artiste.” He had said, “Those are my awards, anybody else who wins, I will ask for them to be killed. If the organizers give my award to someone else, they will die. Do not give my award to another person or they will die.”
However, Portable soon apologised for his remarks after the award’s organizers called the singer out and filed a police investigation. In a video that was released on his social media platforms, Portable said, “Headies has nominated a mad man. The streets have taken over. So, you people should give us our award. Please, don’t be angry. Please, I want my award.”
In that same March 2023, Portable posted a video lamenting about how his friends had beaten up his sister till she landed in the hospital and how they had also beaten him till he sustained injuries. He also added that he had gotten a lawyer and legal steps were being taken to see that he and his sister got justice.
The artist is currently the subject of criticism due to a minor incident that occurred on March 28, 2023, between him and some police officers. The singer of “Zazoo” was seen in a viral video fighting off police officers who invaded his bar in Ogun State’s Sango-Ota neighbourhood. In the widely shared video, he alleged that an online scammer had sent the police to his bar to detain him and his employees “for no reason.” In order to avoid being detained, Portable claimed to the police that he is a “superstar” and works for Bola Tinubu, the president-elect.
As a result, Portable was given 72 hours by the Ogun State Police Command on Wednesday to bring himself in or face arrest.
Abimbola Oyeyemi, a spokeswoman for the command, claimed that the musician had declined five police invitations.
He claimed that after he declined the invitation, the police went to court to obtain an arrest warrant, but when they arrived, “Portable stripped himself naked to create a scene.”
The PPRO said, “Portable is not bigger than the law. We are going to use minimum force to arrest him.”
