Court grants Mohbad’s family permission for independent autopsy

The Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State, has granted the family of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, permission to conduct an independent autopsy and toxicology test.

The decision follows the family’s application citing suspicious circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death on September 12, 2023.

The court’s decision comes after an earlier autopsy conducted by the Lagos State Government was deemed inconclusive.

The Aloba family’s legal team rejected the initial results and advocated for an independent postmortem.

According to a statement from Taiwo Odumosu, head of the family’s legal team, the court also ordered that all legal expenses for the autopsy and toxicology tests would be borne by the Aloba family. Additionally, the deceased’s father, mother, and wife must be present during the autopsy.

“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,” Odumosu stated.

The application for an independent autopsy was brought forward due to the family’s desire to understand the suspicious circumstances of Mohbad’s death. The family welcomed the court’s decision, expressing eagerness to uncover the truth.

At a press conference on June 17, 2024, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Wahab Shittu and Odumosu, representing the Aloba family, rejected the previous autopsy and toxicology results and urged for an independent review.

While the court did not grant the application to recall witnesses who had previously testified, it allowed the calling of new witnesses, provided the family supplies further details for witness summonses.

Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, also requested permission to bury her late husband.

The court indicated that all parties, including Mohbad’s father, mother, and wife, must agree on the burial. If no agreement is reached, the matter will be referred to the High Court for settlement.

Mohbad, a former signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, died at 27, sparking controversy and social media uproar.

Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command established a 13-man special investigation team on September 18, 2023. His body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The controversy led to the arrest of Naira Marley and Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, among others.