Popular singer Portable was on Friday March 31 arrested by operatives of the Ogun Police Command after expiration of a 72-hour ultimatum slammed on him.
He was however granted bail by a Magistrate sitting in Ifo town, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday, April 3, 2023.
Here are some Nigerian celebrities who have been arrested by enforcement agencies:
Portable
The controversial singer was directed to turn himself in by the police for refusing to honour the force invitation.
He was eventually arrested in Sango Ota area and taken to the Command’s Headquarters, Eleweran.
The Ogun Police Command arraigned the ‘Zazzu Zeh’ crooner on a five -count charge bordering on assault, unruly behaviour and theft of musical equipment in a case marked 1192/C/2023.
Portable was also accused of stealing musical gadgets listed as Yamaha H55 Studio Monitor; Complete Studio 2 Interface Connection Cable, AKG P420 Condenser among others.
He was however granted bail by a Magistrate sitting in Ifo town, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday April 3, 2023.
But was first remanded at the facility of Ilaro Correctional Center pending the perfection his bail requirements.
D’banj
It came as a shock to many Nigerians when the news broke that popular Nigerian entertainer, Mr Oladipo Daniel Oyebanjo fondly known as D’banj was arrested and detained by the personnel of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, the spokesperson of ICPC, said D’Banj was being investigated for fraud associated with the N-Power Programme.
The statement read in part, “About 10 persons have been invited by the ICPC over the last few months in connection with the N-Power fraud, and have been granted administrative bail after their detention. Several invitations to Mr Oladipo Daniel Oyebanjo, to appear before a team of investigators were ignored and not honoured.
“Mr Oyebanjo turned in himself and was taken into custody at the ICPC Headquarters on Tuesday, 6th December 2022, and is currently assisting the investigators to unravel the circumstances of the fraud allegations by the petitioners.”
Baba Ijesha
On July 14, 2022, actor Olarenwaju Omiyinka, also known as Baba Ijesha, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor, the adoptive daughter of comedian and actress Princess, and was given a 16-year prison sentence.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offenses Court in Ikeja, Lagos, delivered the ruling.
Naira Marley
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, detained Azeez Adeshina Fashola, better known as Naira Marley, and four others for alleged money laundering. A day after the release of his popular song “Am I a Yahoo boy” online, the singer was arrested.
He was charged with 11 counts in total. Naira Marley was arraigned in court and given bail for N2 million with two sureties in the same amount after spending days in Ikoyi Prison. Marley claimed in a video that leaked online after his release that he had been detained 124 times in the United Kingdom, where he had grown up.
Dammy Krane
On Friday, June 2, 2017, popular musician, Johnson Oyindamola, also known as Dammy Krane, was detained in Florida on suspicion of stealing, using a stolen credit card, and fraud. According to reports, the musician attempted to reserve a private jet with an American jet firm while using five different credit cards that did not belong to him. After pleading not guilty to the charges and demanding a jury trial, he was freed from custody in Miami after complying with his $7,500 bond terms.
The singer was given legal representation and scheduled to show up in court on June 23, 2017. All allegations against him, including those for credit card fraud, armed conspiracy, and grand theft, were dismissed by American courts in August 2017.
He was additionally charged on September 16, 2019, by the Lagos State Police Command with three counts of endangering life, slander, and behaviour likely to provoke unrest. He entered a not-guilty plea to the accusations. However, the matter was continued to October 11 and he was given bail in the amount of N50,000 with one surety in the same amount.
