Deji Adeyanju, a prominent legal practitioner and human rights activist based in Abuja, has strongly criticized the Lagos State Police Command for their treatment of controversial singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable.

The singer was reportedly arrested over a dispute regarding a failed car purchase deal, where he allegedly failed to pay the remaining balance on a G-Wagon he purchased from a dealer.

According to reports, Portable only paid N13 million out of the N27 million total for the vehicle, citing issues with its condition as justification for not paying the remaining N14 million. A video of his arrest circulated on social media, showing police officers forcefully taking him into custody.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Adeyanju condemned the actions of the police, asserting that law enforcement agencies should not be involved in debt recovery matters. He emphasized the importance of upholding individuals' rights and dignity, regardless of the circumstances.

“Our attention has been drawn to a video making the rounds on the internet where Nigerian singer, Mr. Habeeb Okikiola (AKA Portable) was seen being humiliated by persons suspected to be officers of the Nigerian Police Force, in an attempt to forcefully arrest him over a civil matter.

“The unnecessary show of force employed by the officers in the arrest of a non violent Nigerian citizen over a civil dispute, stands condemned. For the umpteenth time, it is necessary to state that security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police, are not debt recovery agencies and they have no role whatsoever to play in any alleged breach of contractual disputes.

“This point has been restated by the appellate courts on several occasions in cases like NA ALLAH v KOFAR KADE (NIG) LTD (2020) LPELR-49596 (CA), Okafor & Anor v AIG Police Zone II Onikan & Ors (2019) LPELR – 46505 (CA), etc.

“The Nigerian Police must return to its constitutional mandate and resist the urge to dabble into all manner of civil disputes, while more pressing crimes go uninvestigated,” Adeyanju stated.