Portable remanded in prison over defamation

An Upper Area Court sitting in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, has remanded controversial Nigerian singer, Badmus Okikiola, fondly called Portable, in the Oke-Kura Correctional Centre.

Portable was on Monday, April 14, 2025, arraigned before the Kwara Upper Area Court in Ilorin, charged with criminal defamation.

It was gathered that Portable was dragged to court following the petition of a famous Fuji music star, Okunola Saheed, popularly known as Osupa.

In the Police First Information Report (FIR), the Fuji music star accused Portable of criminal defamation, criminal intimidation, inciting public disturbance, and cyberstalking.

Osupa further accused Portable of making live stream video to abuse him.

According to him, the defendant dented his personality by claiming that he removed the former’s music from Apple Music and Spotify which would have generated  income for him.

The government prosecutor, Abubakar Issa, urged the court to remand Portable in the correctional facility pending police investigation of the matter.

Kwara police arrest Portable for defaming Saheed Osupa

Portable’s counsel, Isaac Adebayo, urged the court to discountenance the submission of the prosecutor, adding that the police would not have arraigned his client if they had not concluded their investigations.

He informed the court that his client was granted administrative bail on April 14 by the police, maintaining that Portable was a public figure with a traceable address and would make himself available for trial if admitted to bail.

Adebayo said he premised his argument on Sections 172 (1) and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, adding that critical appraisal of the sections of the law may guide the court to admit his client to bail.

The judge, Sunday Adeniyi, in his short ruling, admitted Portable to bail in the sum of N1 million, and with two sureties.

He said one of the sureties must be chairman of PMAN and must have a landed property at  the GRA.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned the matter until April 30, 2025, for further mention.

Portable, however, did not meet the bail condition and was remanded in Oke-kura Correctional Centre Ilorin, pending the time he perfects his bail condition.

The Star