Temitope Ogunsanwo, the proprietor of Temmy Autos, has revealed the reasons behind his decision to apprehend the controversial street artist, Habeeb Okikiola, widely known as Portable, concerning a N14 million debt stemming from his acquisition of a N27 million Mercedes Benz.
Ogunsanwo, who initially released the vehicle to Portable in January 2024 without receiving any payment, expressed disappointment that the musician failed to honor the terms of their agreement.
The car dealer explained that he was introduced to Portable through a mutual acquaintance who urged him to release the car to the musician after he showed interest in purchasing it.
“I was introduced to Portable by a friend. This friend brought Portable to my office because he wanted to purchase a Mercedes Benz GLE 350. After negotiations regarding the price, he expressed a desire to pay in installments. I made it clear that I don’t usually accept installment payments. However, my friend, acting on Portable’s behalf, persuaded me, assuring me that Portable would comply with the agreement, and suggested that we could come to an arrangement,” he recounted.
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Ogunsanwo detailed that Portable committed to an initial payment of N12 million on January 10, 2024, followed by a second payment of N5 million on January 24, 2024. The third installment of N5 million was due on February 10, 2024, with the final payment of N5 million scheduled for February 24, 2024, totaling N27 million.
He expressed frustration that instead of adhering to the agreed terms, Portable resorted to verbal abuse.
“On that day in January 2024, Portable claimed he intended to make a payment of N12,000,000 but unfortunately stated he forgot his token at home. He requested that one of my assistants accompany him to facilitate a transfer of N12,000,000 and settle the remaining balance, as per the agreement document circulated online, to which I consented based on my friend’s assurance. However, upon reaching Portable’s location, he failed to fulfill the agreement, and my assistant returned empty-handed.
“After my assistant returned empty-handed, I attempted to contact Portable numerous times, but he refused to answer my calls. A week later, instead of remitting N12 million, I received an alert for N1 million, which was bewildering. Subsequently, Portable made sporadic payments, often as low as one or two million. The largest amount he remitted was N3 million. Ultimately, he paid a total of N13,000,000 in installments. However, the manner in which the funds were paid rendered them practically unusable for any meaningful purpose.
“After this, he stopped making payments altogether. Despite my persistent attempts to contact him, Portable avoided my calls. Even when he did pick up, he resorted to cursing and verbal abuse.
“I continued my efforts to reach him, even involving his father, but to no avail. I also sought assistance from his lawyer, who eventually grew weary and could no longer intervene.
“Subsequently, I lodged a complaint with Zone 2 Police, and Portable was summoned, but he refused to appear. Consequently, I escalated the matter to the Commissioner of Police, resulting in his arrest three days ago,” he recounted.
While acknowledging the impact of the incident on his business, Ogunsanwo urged Portable’s fans to consider that he would not have taken such drastic measures if Portable had not resorted to abuse and threats.
