Portable, whose full name is Habeeb Okikiola, said on Sunday that no Nigerian artist could legitimately accumulate that amount in a personal account from music alone and questioned who was actually the owner of the funds.
“Which Nigerian artiste will say they have 500 million naira in their account?” Portable said. “Who are the people downloading your music? How many songs have you dropped in a year? It’s clearly money laundering.”
The controversy started after Zlatan shared a screenshot on social media showing a bank balance of more than ₦500 million, drawing reactions from fans and other users across multiple platforms. The post spread rapidly, with many commenters debating whether the balance was genuine or staged for attention.
Portable, responding to the post, said the figure was not credible given the scale of music consumption in Nigeria. He also suggested that some musicians could be using business ventures as cover for undisclosed financial flows.
“EFCC needs to check all these celebrities’ accounts,” Portable said. “You are just using the clothing business as a front. You are not the owner of the 500 million naira. Nigerian artistes cannot have 500 million naira in their account.”
Zlatan operates a clothing business alongside his music career. Portable did not name the business directly but referenced a clothing operation as a possible financial front, without providing any supporting evidence for the claim.
The allegation of money laundering, as Portable framed it, rests on his assertion that the volume of music sales and shows in Nigeria could not generate that level of personal liquidity. No financial records were produced to support or dispute the claim.
Portable further pressed Zlatan to account for the balance by asking whether he invested the funds or distributed them to others. “Music is decent; we make money, but this one posted is not true,” he said. “It’s not possible to have 500 million naira. Don’t you invest? Don’t you have people you help? Tell us the truth.”
Zlatan responded to the accusations on the same day, dismissing Portable’s disbelief with a short, mocking reply. “With all the soap and Fanta, 500m still goes far for my guy eye,” Zlatan said, referencing a previous public moment involving Portable. The remark was widely interpreted as a deliberate taunt, designed to provoke rather than directly address the substance of the allegation.
Neither the EFCC nor any law enforcement body had responded to Portable’s call for an investigation as of Sunday afternoon. The commission has not confirmed receiving any complaint related to the matter.
Portable did not file a formal petition against Zlatan and gave no indication he planned to do so. His comments were made publicly on social media and have since circulated widely, prompting reactions from fans of both artists.
The exchange between the two musicians is the latest in a series of public confrontations involving Portable, who earlier this month lost a celebrity boxing match to actor Charles Okocha by unanimous decision. That event also generated significant online commentary.
Zlatan Ibile, whose full name is Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, rose to prominence through Afrobeats and has collaborated with several major Nigerian artists. He has not addressed the substance of the money laundering allegation beyond his initial social media reply.
Portable’s call for EFCC scrutiny of celebrity finances raises a question that neither side has answered: whether any regulatory body will treat a social media accusation, made without documentary evidence, as sufficient grounds to open an inquiry into a private individual’s bank account.
The ₦500 million figure at the center of the Portable and Zlatan dispute remains unverified by any independent financial or regulatory source as of Sunday
