The Coroner’s Court sitting in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State has granted the family permission to conduct an independent autopsy and toxicology test on the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.
The family had applied for an independent autopsy citing suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased.
The court’s decision comes after the previous autopsy conducted by the Lagos State Government was declared inconclusive.
The Aloba family’s legal team had rejected the results and pushed for an independent postmortem.
According to statement signed by the head of the family’s legal team, Taiwo Odumosu, the court during its sitting on Wednesday also ordered that all legal expenses for the conduct and process of the toxicology test would be borne by the Aloba family.
The statement read in part, “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 added that the family welcomed the court’s decision, stating that they were eager to get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the late singer’s death.
The legal team, at a press conference addressed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu and Odumosu on June 17, 2024, had rejected the autopsy and toxicology test result on behalf of the Aloba family and urged for an independent toxicology test.
Meanwhile, the application to recall witnesses who had given testimony earlier was not granted but the application to call new witnesses in the matter was granted on the basis that the family would provide further details of the witnesses for witness summons to be issued by the court.
According to the statement, 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 added.
Mohbad, a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, died on September 12, 2013 at the age of 27, with the circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversy on social media.
The Lagos State Police Command however inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the death on September 18, 2023.
His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.
His corpse was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeted in September 2023 that an autopsy had been concluded and the police were “awaiting results.”
In April, The PUNCH exclusively reported that the toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of the music star’s death had been concluded.
The result was sent to the pathologist who carried out the autopsy to analyse and interpret it.
It was earlier reported that the US-based lab refuted the claim by the Lagos State Government that the toxicology test was conducted at its facility.
The revelation was in response to inquiries made by our correspondent, who embarked on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the musician’s cause of death.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, while responding to inquiries via a live telephone call with Ahmad Isah, the anchor of an Abuja-based online programme, Brekete Family, sometime in February 2024, had said the toxicology test was being conducted at the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, USA.
However, a pathologist, while testifying before the Coroner’s Court on May 15, revealed that an autopsy couldn’t determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to the decomposition of his body.
Responding to PUNCH Metro’s inquiry on May 17, the Client Services Associate, Forensics Division, NMS Labs, Esther Dede, stated, “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
