Lagos State Coroner’s Court sitting in Ikorodu has granted the Aloba family permission to conduct an independent autopsy and toxicology test on their late son and singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly called Mohbad.
Not satisfied by the result of the earlier autopsy conducted by the state government, the Aloba family had applied for an independent autopsy.
They had based their request on suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased singer.
The Coroner’s court delivered its verdict after the previous autopsy conducted by the Lagos State Government was declared inconclusive.
The late singer’s family’s lawyers had rejected the results, demanding an independent postmortem.
Head of the Aloba family’s legal team, Taiwo Odumosu, said in a statement on Friday that the court’s sitting on Wednesday, the Coroner also ordered that all legal expenses for the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family.
According to the statement, “The court has ordered that all legal expenses for the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family. The deceased’s father, mother, and wife are also required to be present during the autopsy.
“The Coroner’s Court chaired by T.A Sonubi, who gave the order however said that all the legal expenses on the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family.
“The application was brought because the late Ilerioluwa Aloba (Mohbad), died in suspicious circumstances on the 12th day of September 2023 and the applicant and his family are desirous of getting an independent autopsy and toxicology test to be done as a second opinion of the prospective autopsy report of the death of late Ilerioluwa Promise Aloba (Mohbad).
“The court further ordered that the father, mother and the wife of the deceased must be present at the autopsy.”
Odumosu stated that the family welcomed the court’s decision, adding that they were eager to unravel the circumstances surrounding the late singer’s sudden death.
On June 17, 2024, during a press conference addressed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu and Odumosu, the legal team had rejected the autopsy and toxicology test result on behalf of the Aloba family, demanding an independent toxicology test.
However, application to recall witnesses who had earlier given testimony earlier not granted.
The application to call new witnesses in the matter was granted on the basis that the family would provide further details of the witnesses to enable the court to issue witness summons.
The statement added that Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, also applied that she should be allowed to bury the late singer, just as the legal team offered that it depends on how soon the autopsy and the toxicology test could be conducted.
“The court was disposed to the burial but said all parties (which include: Mr. Joseph Aloba (father of the deceased), Mrs. Abosede Olumiyi (mother of the deceased), and Mrs. Wunmi Aloba (wife of the deceased) must agree to the burial and if not the dispute should be referred to the High Court for settlement,” the statement further stated.
Twenty seven-year-old Mohbad, a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, died on September 12, 2013.
But the circumstances surrounding his death sparked off heated controversy on social media.
On September 18, 2023, the police in Lagos inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe his death.
Mohbad’s death also resulted in the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.
The late musician’s corpse was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to ascertain the cause of his death.
In September 2023, state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeted that an autopsy had been concluded and the results were being expected.
In April, the toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of Mohbad’s death was reported to have been concluded.
The result was transmitted to the pathologist who conducted the autopsy to analyse and interpret.
But the US-based lab reportedly refuted the claim by the Lagos State Government that the toxicology test was conducted at its facility.
In February 2024, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in his response to inquiries via a live telephone call with Ahmad Isah, the anchor of an Abuja-based online programme, Brekete Family, had said the toxicology test was being conducted at the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, USA.
But the Client Services Associate, Forensics Division, NMS Labs, Esther Dede, had reportedly stated, “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient.”
But while testifying before the Coroner’s Court on May 15, a pathologist disclosed that an autopsy couldn’t determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to the decomposition of his body.
