Music artist Naira Marley testified on Friday before a Magistrate Court in Ikorodu in the ongoing Coroner’s inquest into the death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
Appearing virtually before Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, Naira Marley stated that Mohbad was signed to his record label, Marlian Records, under a contract to produce four albums. However, he said the albums were never completed due to persistent disagreements between the late singer and his manager, Opere Babatunde.
Marley denied allegations that he threatened or molested Mohbad, citing a police report that exonerated him. He dismissed accusations of harassment, stating that they “existed only in people’s imaginations.”
When questioned about a viral video in which Mohbad stated that Marley and the Marlian crew should be held responsible if anything happened to him, Marley claimed the late singer and his parents later apologized, attributing the video to Mohbad being under the influence of drugs.
“There were no disputes or disagreements between me and Mohbad,” Marley said, adding that he had no involvement in the singer’s death. He asserted that he had not seen Mohbad for over a year before his passing and was not even in the country when he died.
However, the late singer’s lawyer, Oluwasanmi Falade, challenged Marley’s claims, affirming that there was a dispute between Mohbad and Marlian Records over unpaid royalties.
“At Mohbad’s insistence, I wrote several letters to Marlian Records regarding the payment of royalties, but there was never any response,” Falade testified. He further revealed that the dispute had escalated into a legal matter before the Federal High Court.
Falade also recounted an attack on Mohbad at Lekki Beach, allegedly orchestrated by music promoter Sam Larry. He stated that he had advised Mohbad to report the incident to law enforcement, and despite two failed attempts, police at Force Headquarters had tried to arrest Sam Larry.
Following the testimonies, Magistrate Shotobi summoned Sam Larry to testify at the next hearing on April 11.
The Coroner also ordered that witness summons be sent to Mohbad’s driver and instructed the pathologist who conducted the independent autopsy on Mohbad to submit a copy of his findings to the court, as well as to the Chief Coroner.
Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Wahab Shittu (SAN), counsel to Mohbad’s family, acknowledged that no clear evidence had yet emerged linking Naira Marley to Mohbad’s death, either directly or indirectly.
“The inquest is crucial in determining the sequence of events and the circumstances leading to his death,” Shittu said. He emphasized the need to scrutinize all individuals who were around the late singer in his final hours.
Shittu also disclosed that he had requested the Coroner to summon doctors from the two hospitals where Mohbad was taken on the day of his death to provide insight into his condition at the time. Witness summons are expected to be issued to them in due course.
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