Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, April 3, 2023
OTA, Ogun, Nigeria – Popular Nigerian musician, Habeeb Okikiola better known as Portable was on Monday morning arraigned before a magistrate court, sitting in Ota, Ogun State.
Portable was arraigned for assaulting one of the policemen who had stormed his bar in Abeokuta to effect arrest.
The Ogun State Police command had insisted that officers visited the bar to effect the arrest based on a petition. But the musician believes that the policemen had no reason to invade his business outfit to arrest his workers.
He was subsequently invited by the police but Portable refused to show up. Following his refusal to honour the invitation, men of the Ogun State Police Command stormed his residence to effect his arrest on Friday.
But in a swift reaction, management of the musician put out a statement, stressing that the musician was not arrested but that he honoured police invitation and that he was with the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Frank Mba adding that the issue in question has been attended to.
The statement notwithstanding, the musician was detained for two days at the Ogun State police command on Eleweran, Abeokuta before his arraignment earlier today at Ota Magistrate Court, Ogun State.
Recall that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Alkali Baba Mohammed had given a stern warning to members of the public following persistent cases of unwarranted assault of policemen, stating that his office will not longer condone incidents of harassment of his men.
Recall that in a statement, Force PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the IGP directed all Police Commands and formations to ensure that individuals who engage in assault on police officers, irrespective of preceding factors, are made to face the full wrath of the law via swift prosecution in courts of competent jurisdiction.
The Force PRO also said the inspector-general of police, while reiterating the commitment of the Force to ensuring protection of lives and property, stressed the importance of according respect to the fundamental human rights of Police officers and other security operatives, in order to enable them advance their sacred mandate of serving and protecting the citizens better and maintenance of law and order.
