By Nigerian singer Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has called on the federal government to ban prank videos following a chaotic altercation at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Sunday, October 5, 2025.
The incident, which quickly went viral, involved Portable and a group of individuals he described as “death pranksters” who staged a dangerous prank against him.
The tense 53-second video circulating on social media shows Portable dressed in beige attempting to confront an unidentified person amid pushing, shoving, and restraint by security personnel. At one point, a man appears barefoot, while another wields what looks like a belt or whip, intensifying the chaotic scene. Airport security guards eventually pulled Portable toward a waiting vehicle, diffusing what could have escalated into a violent confrontation.
In a video response posted on his Instagram page the following day, Portable alleged that he was targeted by “death pranksters” – pranksters who stage extreme, often life-threatening hoaxes for online content. He said, “Those people came to prank me. They were death pranksters. It almost turned to cultist level. Ten yellows no fit stand one blue,” blending English and Yoruba to emphasise the severity of the incident and his resilience.
Portable claimed that these pranksters had been tarnishing his reputation for social media fame and warned that the situation was beginning to resemble a cult-related conflict.
The “Zazu Zeh” crooner urged the government to put a stop to such dangerous pranks and fake news spread by bloggers on social media platforms. “Make government stop all those prankers and some fake bloggers. Make them stop all this fake news post just because of small fame. Why una dey spoil person wey get glory name with una platforms?” he appealed.
Portable also revealed he had checked the TikTok account of one of the pranksters, which contained multiple prank videos, some involving fake deaths staged to elicit prolonged emotional responses.
He described the prank team as consisting of six individuals, some of whom had placed a price tag on him following these viral episodes.
This incident is the latest in a series of public controversies involving Portable, including previous legal issues and police attention. His demand for government intervention highlights rising concerns about the impact of reckless prank culture on public safety and personal reputations in Nigeria.
For Nigerians and the broader African tech ecosystem, Portable’s call shines a light on the growing challenge of regulating online content, especially prank videos that blur the line between entertainment and harm. With social media platforms serving as primary content distributors, deliberate misinformation and dangerous stunts pose risks that national agencies must address to protect citizens and public order.
As the debate on content regulation continues globally, Nigerian authorities face pressure to impose stricter controls on prank videos and online hoaxes that escalate into real-life dangers. Portable’s public outcry could be a catalyst for renewed focus on legal frameworks governing digital content and social media ethics in Nigeria.
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