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One year ago today, on September 12, 2023, popular street pop star, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka Mohbad, sadly died at age 27. His untimely death came as a shock to his fans and Nigerians at large and immediately threw the nation into a state of grief.
A lot has happened since we lost our shining star last year, yet the circumstances behind his death remain riddled with conspiracies, controversies and many unanswered questions.
What happened to Mohbad?
According to the police in 2023, the singer was administered injections by a quack nurse named Feyisayo Ogedengbe. Said injections, consisting of tetanus toxoid, paracetamol, and an antibiotic known as Cetrazone triggered an immediate reaction, including vomiting, goosebumps and convulsions, after which he passed.
He was then rushed to Perez Medcare Hospital for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival. According to a statement by the medical facility, he did not die in their hospital, and all efforts at resuscitation failed.
The hasty burial
Mohbad was buried the very next day in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State by his family. The early burial confused the singer's fans and Nigerians at large, given that he was not a Muslim.
However, Mohbad's father, Joseph Aloba, spoke up, stressing that he was quickly buried because he was young. He also noted that the land on which he was buried was the only property that he knew his son owned.
Call for investigations and an autopsy
Shortly after his passing, Nigerians began to clamour for an investigation into his death, considering its sudden nature. According to people around Mohbad, he had performed at a concert two days before his passing and there was nothing wrong with him. This then raised the question in everyone's mind "What happened to Mohbad?"
A social media campaign by Nigerians began demanding that an autopsy be conducted on Mohbad to determine the cause of his death. Petitions were written to the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and to the state's head coroner as well.
The Nigeria police force swung into action and launched an official investigation into his passing, and dug up his body from the grave in Ikorodu for an autopsy.
Naira Marley and Sam Larry
Between 2020 and 2022, Mohbad was signed to Naira Marley's record label under which he released some of his biggest hit songs.
Before his death, he was involved in a legal battle with the record label to recover some of his royalties. Following his passing, videos surfaced online of assault and harassment he suffered at the hands of music promoter Sam Larry and the record label. The most damning video was one made by Mohbad himself crying that Naira Marley be held responsible if anything happened to him.
The reemergence of the videos on social media after his death enraged Nigerians to call for Marley and Larry's immediate arrest. But at the time, both parties were out of the country and claimed innocence because neither of them were in Nigeria when the singer passed away.
Upon invitation by the police, both suspects returned to Nigeria to assist with the ongoing investigations.
A befitting send-forth
Nigerians did not view the hasty burial in Ikorodu as befitting for the much-loved singer, therefore, his management arranged a candlelight procession and tribute concert in his honour. The September 21 procession started at the Lekki Phase One gate and down to the popular Muri Okunola Park in Victoria Island, where the tribute concert also took place. Hundreds of devoted fans turned up for the event to support the late singer, and celebrities like Falz and Davido were in attendance.
The investigations
The police disclosed that a total of 26 people, including members of Mohbad's family, had been questioned in connection to his death.
Ogendengbe, the nurse who administered the injections to the singer at his residence, has been named the prime suspect but is yet to be arraigned.
Mohbad's friend, Ayobami Sadiq, aka Spending, who invited Ogendengbe to treat the singer in his Lekki home has also been named a suspect, alongside another friend, Primeboy, who reportedly had a physical altercation with him a day before his death.
Due to evidence linking them with cyberbullying, physical abuse, a threat to life, and assault against Mohbad, Marley and Larry were also considered suspects and were remanded to police custody for 21 days.
Paternity test battles
After Mohbad's death, there were DNA test squabbles between the singer's widow, Wunmi and his father, Joseph Aloba. Aloba insisted that she test her son Liam to confirm Mohbad's paternity, and after back and forth between them, the court intervened.
It was gathered that Wunmi’s father-in-law had attempted twice to serve her the controversial DNA test application notice but failed. This order came as the legal team representing the Aloba family, led by Emmanuel Oroko, recorded multiple failed attempts to serve Wunmi in person. to be notified of the pending DNA test application through alternative means.
The statement referenced that the singer’s wife, in a viral video, said she was ready for a DNA test, noting that she had never been available for the court sheriff to serve her the originating motion.
Cause of death?
In May 2024, a pathologist named Prof. Shokunle Shoyemi revealed that the cause of the death of the singer was 'uncertain.' Shokunle said that the cause of the singer's death could not be determined as his body was too decomposed by the time an autopsy was performed.
He told the coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, that in spite of extensive efforts, the advanced state of decomposition of the body made a conclusive autopsy impossible.
Mohbad's family's reaction
The inconclusive nature of the coroner's inquest into Mohbad's death was met with sadness and anger by the singer's fans and his family. His father, expressed his dissatisfaction and indicated a possible cover-up of his son's case.
He said, “I was brought to tears when I learnt of the denial. I never expected such a fabrication. It now appears that the claim of it being taken to the US was concocted from the beginning, indicating an attempt to conceal the truth.
"Hearing the news made me more sorrowful about the death of my son. I don’t believe the state government could deceive everyone, saying they went to conduct the test and they did not. I felt so pained. It also assures me that we will get justice in the end," he added