The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to ban the latest single by Street-hop act Portable, stating that the song encourages ritual killing.
Portable released a new single on Friday, 20th of January titled ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ on which he addressed the desire for wealth and ask those who wish for money to resort to diabolical means to get money as death is the general conclusion for all human beings irrespective of their actions.
According to MURIC, the song will encourage ritual for killing amongst the youths who make up Portable’s listeners and over whom he holds significant influence.
MURIC Director Dr. Ishaq Akintola in a statement which was released on Monday, 23rd January 2023, stated that the song is an open invitation to criminality and demanded that the government acts to curb the negative effect it has on the youth.
“We find this song disgusting, detestable and egregious. It is a brazen assault on Nigerian and African values. Portable’s latest song has reduced human life to the level of ordinary ants that can be stamped out under human feet without qualms and without consequences. It is an open invitation to criminality. It makes a mockery of law and order. It is an open disrespect for human life,” it reads.
“This song has the capacity to influence our young ones in a negative manner. It is also capable of destroying the future of the youth. Something must be done urgently. Already, there are several reports of young ones engaging in shameful act for the purpose of getting rich in their tender ages.
“MURIC calls on all men of goodwill, all mothers in Nigeria, Muslim and Christian leaders to rise against the madness called Yahoo Yahoo and ritual killings among young ones whose ambassador has just released this horrendous song in their praise. ‘Kuku Do Ritual’ is nothing but a eulogy to glorify and elevate the names of ritual killers to high heaven.
“This album calls for immediate action from Nigeria’s traditional rulers. They are the custodians of our tradition. We therefore take our cry for help to these royal fathers to speak up on this sacrilegious song released by ‘Portable’. They must put pressure on the authorities to stop the circulation and broadcast of this album on any radio or television station and through any medium whatsoever”.
MURIC called on government and relevant stakeholders to take necessary action against the singer.
“We invite the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to take necessary action with military dispatch,” it added.
“We see no reason why the security agencies should not investigate the author of this most embarrassing and irrational song to explain the number of rituals in which he has indulged. A scapegoat must be made of this album and its artist before the trend escalates.
“Nobody should hide behind artistic privilege, poetic licence or freedom of expression to launch such barbaric offensive on our culture, our norms and our values. This is beyond free speech. It is criminal speech. It is incitement to commit murder. It is instigation to criminality. It is a bestial invasion of decency and good manners.”
Since breaking into the mainstream in 2021, Portable has gone on to achieve success while also becoming a trouble-hugging artist whose music and antics have polarized views.
