The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has asked musician, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, to report himself to the nearest police station over a viral video where he ordered a young man to be beaten.
Gistah reports that the ZaZu Zeh crooner was seen instructing some boys to beat up a young man whom he claimed had sent his wife a message, asking his wife to advise him on the company he keeps.
The singer then ordered the boys to pounce on the young man and beat him. While at it, Portable could be heard in the Yoruba language, saying “e luu pa”, that is, “beat him to death.”
The Ogun State police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, while describing the act as unbecoming and barbaric, asked the singer to surrender himself or be declared wanted.
“The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been drawn to a video clip circulating on social media, where a popular hip hop musician, Habeeb Okikiola (a.k.a Portable, the Zazu crooner), was seen organizing some youths to beat up a young man and inflict bodily injury on him. The incident was said to have taken place somewhere within Ogun State about two days ago.
“Such unruly and violent behaviour is not only barbaric, but unbecoming of somebody who is supposed to be a role model for the youths and therefore should not be tolerated.
“In view of this, the Command is using this medium to advise Okikiola Habeeb, a.k.a Portable, to report himself at the nearest police station in Ogun State, failure of which his arrest will be ordered.
“The flagrant display of impunity by Portable in the viral video is condemnable and if not checked, it will send a wrong signal to the youths who are looking up to him as a role model.
“Jungle justice has no place in our laws and whoever embarked on it must be made to feel the weight of the law, no matter the status of such person,” Oyeyemi said in a statement on Monday.