Portable Begs Ogun Govt To Release Detained Associates

Controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has finally addressed the ongoing battle with the Ogun State Government over the sealing off his uncompleted building and his bar in Sango Ota.

Speaking in an emotional post on his Instagram page on Sunday, the “Zazuu” crooner pleaded with the State governor to release his detained associates after days of hiding.

Portable described the allegations against him and his crew as false, insisting that his workers were unlawfully arrested and detained.

Sunday Telegraph recalls that the controversy began when officials from the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority (OGPDPA) visited Portable’s Odogwu Bar and Restaurant to seal off the property over alleged violations, including a lack of approved permits and insufficient airspace.

The singer alleged that government officials stormed his premises and arrested over 20 people, including artists and customers, while seizing vehicles, gadgets, and personal belongings.

However, Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Olatunji Odunlami, refuted Portable’s claims, describing them as baseless.

Speaking in the development, the singer maintained that the arrest followed due legal processes.

Following the confrontation, nine individuals were arraigned on a five-count charge, including armed violence, felony, obstruction, assault, and intent to kill.

They were granted bail at ₦5 million each, with strict conditions requiring sureties to be licensed bond agents registered with the state government.

The case has been adjourned to March 17, 2025, for further hearing.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, Portable alleged that certain individuals were targeting and setting him up in Ogun State.

He challenged authorities to provide video evidence proving that his associates assaulted officials.

Expressing distress and frustration, he warned that the situation was pushing him toward suicide.

He stated that he came from a humble background and had never intended to fight anyone, but felt he was being set up.

He claimed that officials came to the house he was building and arrested his boys, who were apprentices learning different trades.

According to him, these individuals were being falsely accused.

Portable further revealed that the land on which the sealed property was built held deep sentimental value for him, as it was the site where he exhumed his late mother’s corpse after she passed away when he was just 13 years old.

He later built a mansion on the land, and he insisted that the issue of canceling his house was entirely separate from the ongoing case.

He pleaded with the authorities to provide evidence of any assault, stating that the young men arrested were not violent and had done nothing wrong.

He also questioned whether any illegal substances were found in his possession.

Portable concluded his appeal by begging for the release of his detained associates, expressing fear that he was being pushed into deep emotional distress.

Meanwhile, authorities have maintained that the case will proceed in line with due process.