CONTROVERSIAL Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola (popularly known as Portable) is reportedly on the run after nine of his proteges were arraigned before an Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for allegedly assaulting officials from the Ota Zonal Planning Office of the Ogun State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
The accused persons including Nurudeen Warris (21), Adetola Alashe (25), Samuel Adeleke (28), Oluwaseun Ayenuwa (19), Oluwapelumi Adeosun (20), Gospel Kanu (20), Precious Ohiegebo (19), Ifeoluwa Babatunde (27), and Fatimo Muhammed (26) were charged with five counts, including felony, assault, obstruction, armed violence with cutlasses and guns, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, and intent to kill.
The police prosecutor, Sunday Ekong, told the court that the incident occurred on Wednesday around 10:00 a.m. at Oke-Osa, Tigbo Ilu, Sango-Ota, in the Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
According to him, the suspects, along with Portable — who is currently at large — allegedly assaulted, obstructed, and restricted town planners Abidemi Onabanjo, Ramon Lateef, and Akinpelumi Oyero while they were carrying out their official duties at Odogwu Bar, a business owned by Portable.
Ekong added that the defendants and Portable were armed with dangerous weapons and acted in a manner that could have led to a breach of public peace, with the alleged intent to kill the town planning officers. The charges were brought under sections 516, 356(3), 80, 249(d), and 320 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State, 2006.
Magistrate O.M. Somefun granted the defendants bail at N5 million each, requiring sureties who are licensed bond agents registered with the Ogun State government. The case was adjourned to 17 March for hearing.
Background to the Incident
A few days ago, the agents of the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority (OGPDPA) zonal planning officers in Ibogun and Otta began a joint monitoring and auditing of the developments around the area to check planning permit status and serve notices for illegal structures in the zones.
The agents were working on the other side of the road to Portable’s Odogwu Bar when he made a video (still on his IG page) talking about how he is the town planner. He even asked people in his bar to call him town a planner, and they chorused it. He bullied the agents and said no one could plan a town he was in. He continued until the town planning guys left for their safety.
On Wednesday when they got to Portable’s bar, they met his dad, and they explained to him what they were there to do. They issued him the notice of illegal structure and told the dad that they had a number of days to challenge it if they had valid documents in their possession.
The father told them Portable was not around, but he promised that when he came back, he would show him the notice.
As the agents were pasting the notices, Portable and his area boys arrived on Okada, and they attacked the government officials. The agents tried to run for safety, Portable then asked Okada riders to block them and beat them. He also personally slapped and assaulted the officers.
The agents ran into their vehicle, Portable jumped on Okada, and pursued them to block their escape route. The officers ran to safety in a petrol station. People shielded them, and they called their office. The office informed the police, and the police arrived in time to rescue the agents.
It took the intervention of the police for the town planning agents to escape Portable and his hirelings as they were beating and pelting the government agents with stones even as they hid in the petrol station.
The police went back and arrested everyone suspected to be involved in assaulting the government officials, and they moved all the vehicles of the suspects and others who escaped.
Eighteen-Eleven Media