Temisan Olaifa
Fuji musician, Okunola Saheed, aka Osupa, says he has dropped charges against imprisoned Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable.
Omoyele Sowore dropped this hint today on his Facebook page.
He said Osupa agreed to drop the charges after he met with the fuji musician at an undisclosed location.
Sowore said, ‘‘Today, I had an extended discussion with King Saheed Osupa Akorede highlighting that the Nigeria Police Force has no right to criminalise civil disputes.
‘‘He explained that his use of the police was intended to show his non-involvement in any actions that could harm Portable, but acknowledged that his actions might be seen as using the police for repression.
‘‘As a result, he declared that he had dropped the charges against Portable, which had led to his incarceration at a prison in Ilorin due to his inability to fulfil bail requirements.
‘‘Our position remains unchanged: the Police should refrain from using Cybercrime charges against anyone in the future.’’
Portable was remanded at the Oke Kura Correctional Centre in Ilorin, Kwara State, after his inability to meet stringent bail conditions imposed by an Upper Area Court in the state.
He was unable to meet the conditions of N1 million and other stringent bail conditions, including providing two sureties in like sum.
The court said one of the sureties must be either the Chairman or Secretary of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, while the other must be a property owner within a Government Reserved Area in Ilorin, supported by a valid Certificate of Occupancy.
His case was documented under First Information Report 117(1) CPC, and filed by the State Intelligence Department of the police following a petition dated March 21, 2025, by Osupa.
Portable was accused of making a live broadcast on Instagram, where he allegedly defamed Osupa, claiming the complainant was envious of his success and attempting to destroy his reputation.
In the video, Portable was quoted as saying, “This man dey try to bring down my shine! He be like person wey dey chop snail with shell—him no get sense. Osupa carries tortoise for stomach. When Apple Music and Spotify want to drop money for me, na him remove my song from the platform, make I no see money (sic).”
Osupa maintained that Portable’s remarks were not only defamatory and damaging but also intended to incite public hatred and disturb the peace.
It was submitted to the Kwara State Police Command, and its men arrested the street-pop singer who confessed to the allegations while being interrogated.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, Osupa accused Portable of several serious offences, including criminal defamation, threats to life, incitement, character assassination, conduct likely to cause a breach of the public peace, as well as the use of abusive and offensive language.
The statement said, “Given the weight of these allegations and the supporting evidence presented, the command secured a valid arrest warrant from a Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin.
“Acting on this warrant, operatives from the command proceeded to Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday, 13th April 2025, where the suspect was apprehended at about 19:25hrs. He was immediately brought to Ilorin for further investigations.
“Upon his arrival, the suspect’s statement was taken in the presence of legal representatives from both parties,” the statement read.
