After causing a stir at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Sunday, controversial musician Habeeb Okikiola, better known by his stage name Portable, has urged the federal government to outlaw prank videos.
In a 53-second video that went viral, the artist in beige was seen trying to confront an unknown person while onlookers and security guards attempted to hold him back.
In the video, frantic pushing and shoving broke out as uniformed guards fought to drag Portable into a waiting car in the parking area. As the throng watched, at least one person appeared to be barefoot, and another brandished what appeared to be a whip or belt.
In response, Portable said in a video on his Instagram page on Monday that he was surrounded by “death pranksters,” a word he coined to describe those who stage severe, sometimes fatal pranks for online publicity.
“Those people came to prank me,” he stated in a combination of Yoruba and English. They were pranksters who killed people. It nearly devolved into a cult. One blue, ten yellow, no fit.
He said that the incident hurt his reputation and that he was the victim of phony PR stunts.
Portable urged authorities to take down on bloggers who propagate fake information and to ban prank content.
Make the authorities put an end to those pranksters and phony bloggers. Make them cease posting false information based solely on their limited level of celebrity. The author commented, “Why una dey spoil person wey get glory name with una platforms.”
The crooner of “Zazu Zeh” is accustomed to public turmoil. He was once listed as wanted by the police in relation to an assault case, and he has previously made headlines for fights.
