The Portable Threat: Threat to life as a criminal offense

 Mr. Habeeb Okikiola, the Zazu crooner, who goes by the stage name, “Portable” is fond of making uncensored and unexpurgated remarks and speeches on social media, sometimes on a serious note and sometimes as a “cruise” or joke. 

He recently threatened the organizers of the headies award and his fellow nominees in the upcoming music award. In the video he posted, he stated clearly that the awards of the categories he was nominated for belong to him solely as he is a better deserving nominee and if any of the other nominees dare win the award he will have them killed and he will also kill the organizers of the award. 

The Zazu crooner who penetrated the Nigerian music scene late last year and came to the limelight using his hit song “Zazu”  is fond of making similar videos like this, although it could be said to be all “cruise” and jokes but there’s a limit to cruise. Threatening someone’s life is a joke taken too far and it is treated seriously and is also a criminal offense. You don’t joke with that and even if you claim that it is a joke, the person can report to the police and if anything happens to that person you will be held responsible for it even if you have not done anything to the fellow. 

A Threat to Life involves a threat to harm or cause imminent or potential harm to a person, cause serious bodily injury, or significant violent action. 

Threat to life is a criminal offense provided for in S 56 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and it provides thus: 

56 Threatening Violence.

(1) Any person who:

(a) with intent to intimidate or annoy any person, threatens to break or damage a residential house; or

(b) with intent to alarm any person in a residential house, discharge loaded firearms, or commit any other breach of the peace;

is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable to imprisonment for one year

By the provision of this section, a person who threatens to carry out the violence of attacking another person is guilty of a misdemeanor and can be jailed for one year. 

As an individual, when you receive a threat to your life, it is in your best interest to 

1. Retain and save all Evidence that shows the threat. 
2. Report the threat to the law enforcement agencies and present the evidence. 
3. Get a Restraining Order against the person who made the threat. 
4. Pursue Criminal and/or Civil Remedies against the threat. 

Portable has been asked by the organizers of the headies award to retract the threat and apologize to his fellow nominees and the organizers of the show if not his name will be taken off the nomination list and he was also reported to the police.