The drama surrounding controversial street-hop artist Portable took another twist on Tuesday as Fuji legend Saheed Osupa once again stepped in — this time, to prevent a fresh arrest in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, narrowly escaped a second arrest over a new petition alleging a breach of contract and fraud amounting to N6.3 million. The petition was filed by Starwood Hotels and supported by the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), who had jointly engaged Portable for a performance at the Kwara TAMPAN Fiesta last September.
According to Mr. Yemi George, Managing Director of Starwood Hotels Ilorin, Portable failed to show up on stage after receiving full payment. Despite arriving at the venue over 16 hours late, the singer allegedly left without performing, a move that breached the signed agreement.
“We had all the documents ready to have him re-arrested today, but out of deep respect for the legendary Fuji musician Saheed Osupa, I decided to hold back,” George revealed in an exclusive chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
This comes barely days after Osupa withdrew a separate legal case against Portable following intervention by top figures who appealed for an out-of-court resolution. That initial case, filed by Osupa himself, involved serious allegations including criminal defamation, threat to life, and character assassination.
But despite letting the first matter slide, Osupa again found himself in a peacemaker’s role, urging the hotel management to take the high road. His plea worked — for now.
The fresh petition, titled “Petition for Fraudulent Conduct and Obtaining by False Pretense the Sum of N6.3m”, was signed by TAMPAN Governor Chief Olu Amusan and Starwood Hotels’ Ayodele Demokun. It demands a full refund and investigation into the incident.
Portable has not issued an official statement yet, but industry insiders say this might not be the last chapter in the ongoing saga between the Zazu crooner and his aggrieved event partners.
As the streets say — this drama no go end soon.