If at the start of his career, you placed a bet on Portable, born Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, somehow always finding himself in trouble, you’d be swimming in a pool of cash right now. On Tuesday, the Ogun State Police Command announced that the musician is wanted for assaulting members of the state’s Planning and Development Permit Authority.
The self-proclaimed ”King of the Street” is always caught up in strings of alleged controversies, which makes me wonder, why always him?
From slapping pastors to alleged beatdowns, Portable has been at the center of some pretty wild drama since his breakthrough into the mainstream. Here’s the tea on his chaotic timeline — from his “ZaZoo Zehh” hit in 2021 to present day.
June 2022: Portable attacks DJ Chicken
Portable and DJ Chicken were once associates who occasionally promoted each other’s music. After a falling out, they resorted to throwing jabs at each other online, especially on their Instagram stories.
Tensions escalated when DJ Chicken was lured to what he believed was a call for truce, only to meet a trap. Portable instructed a group of guys to beat up DJ Chicken and record the assault. The DJ was severely injured, leading to more public scrutiny of Portable’s actions and behaviour.
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July 2022: Portable declares himself a cult leader
After Portable got nominated for ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ‘Best Street-Hop Artist’ at The Headies in 2022, the singer took to his IG story to threaten to harm other nominees if he didn’t win the awards.
Then in July 2022, Portable declared himself the founder of a notorious cult group known as One Million Boys. In response, The Headies immediately disqualified him from all categories.
March 2023: Portable fights his apprentice and ignores a police ultimatum
After beating up his apprentice, Portable was reported to the police. In a viral video, Portable claimed his apprentice, whom he referred to as an internet fraudster, sent the police to harass him at his Odogwu Bar. He claimed the altercation happened after he advised the apprentice to quit Yahoo-Yahoo.
Portable said it was a personal issue that shouldn’t involve the police, so he didn’t cooperate with them. The police then invited him to the station and gave him a 72-hour ultimatum to show up. He failed to go. This led to his arrest and detention at the Police Command Headquarters at Eleweran, Ogun State.
April 2023: Portable faces seven charges and a trial
Portable also faced trial for assaulting a studio owner who reported him to the police. According to a statement by the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), the singer had six additional charges filed against him.
Following his release on bail, he went viral with his song, “Am Not A Prison”.
READ: Subs, Gold Teeth & G-Wagons: Seyi Vibez vs Zino vs Portable
May 2024: Portable is arrested…again
The operatives of the Lagos State Police Command went after Portable, following a complaint filed by a car dealer that the singer owed money. Portable had purchased a ₦27 million car, paid ₦13 million, and then refused to settle the balance, alleging that the car was faulty.
A viral video captured the chaotic moment when Portable jumped over a fence to evade arrest. He was eventually caught and taken into police custody.
September 2024: Portable slaps a pastor and beats up a car dealer
On September 9, 2024, Portable slapped a pastor who had come to preach at his Odogwu Bar. Portable claimed he didn’t believe he was a real man of God and slapped him because he suspected the pastor had come to harm him spiritually.
Two days after the incident, Portable struck again. Frustrated that his new car hadn’t been delivered two weeks after their agreement, he accused the dealer of being a scammer and instructed thugs to beat up the dealer. The dealer cried out, “I didn’t take your car”, while he sat on the floor, distressed and pleading. Of course, Portable recorded for the Gram as they bruised up the man. Later, he went to apologise to the pastor, shedding tears.
October 2024: Portable beats promoter at Felabration
During Felabration in 2024, show promoter Alhaji Don Shi was beaten up by Portable. According to Don Shi, they were once friends until their relationship soured after the singer took on two female managers.
Don claimed that this was not the first time Portable had laid hands on his former show promoter. According to him, the singer had locked him up at One Eleven Hotel in Abule Egba two years earlier and beaten him for three hours.
February 2025: Portable is wanted by the Ogun State Police
On February 5, 2025, Portable and his associates beat up some Ota Zonal officers of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for conducting an inspection at his bar. He has since been on a run to evade arrest and questioning by the police.
On February 17, the Ogun State Police Force declared Portable a wanted man. He is wanted for “conspiracy, serious assault, going armed, breach of public leave and attempted murder by recruiting armed thugs.”
On February 18, Portable finally broke his silence. He declared himself a mentally unstable man undergoing treatment at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta.
