Assault: Portable Escapes Jail, Pays N30,000 Fine

Controversial hip-hop musician Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, avoided a three-month jail sentence after paying a N30,000 fine.

Portable was sentenced to three months in prison for assault on Tuesday by Chief Magistrate Babajide Ilo’s court in Ifo, Ogun State’s Ifo Local Government Area, with the option of paying a N30,000 fine.

Inspector Olumide Awoleke, the Police Prosecutor, informed the court that Okikiola committed the offence on November 18, 2022, at approximately 11:00 a.m. in Okeosa, Ilogbo, within the Ifo Magisterial District.

The charge sheet reads: “That you, Badmus Habeeb Okikiola a.k.a. 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 a felony to wit: assault, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State, 2006.

“That you, Habeeb Okikiola Olalomi, on the same date, time, and place in the aforementioned district, did unlawfully assault one Osimosu Emmanuel Oluwafemi, by beating him all over his body, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 351 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria, 2006.

“That you, Badmus Habeeb Okikiola a.k.a. Portable, sometime in the year 2022, at Okeosa, Ilogbo, in the Ifo Magisterial District, did steal some musical gadgets including a Yamaha H55 studio monitor, complete studio 2 interface connection cable, and an AKG P420 condenser microphone, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 383 and 384, and punishable under Section 390 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State, Nigeria, 2006.”

In his judgment, Chief Magistrate Babajide Ilo stated that the singer was found guilty on counts one and two.

Portable was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with an option of a N10,000 fine on count one and two months’ imprisonment with an option of a N20,000 fine on count two.

Portable was arraigned before the Magistrate Court in April 2023 on a three-count charge bordering on assault and theft of a musical instrument, under charge sheet No. MIF/192C/2023.

The singer was initially granted bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties from his immediate family.

However, he was said to have been brought before the court last Thursday after failing to appear for some time.

He was then remanded in the state Correctional Service and brought back to court on Tuesday when the judgment was delivered.