A Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State, has ordered the substituted service of witness summonses on key individuals in the ongoing inquest into the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
The court’s decision was prompted by unsuccessful attempts to serve these witnesses through conventional means.
The witnesses summoned include notable figures such as Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley; Samson Eletu, also known as Sam Larry; Karimot Ogunbayo, Mohbad’s sister-in-law; Boluwatife Adeyemo, aka Darosha; and Mohbad’s lawyer, Oluwasanmi Falade. The list also includes the nurse who treated Mohbad before his death, Feyisayo Ogedengbe, and the driver who transported him to the hospital, Fidelis Esanbor.
Magistrate T. A. Sotobi granted the application made by Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, allowing the witness summonses to be served through a reputable national newspaper and social media. This order was issued during the court’s sitting on August 16, 2024, following a request from the Aloba family’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Wahab Shittu.
The legal team argued that the new witnesses were crucial to providing evidence on the circumstances leading to Mohbad’s death, which occurred under suspicious circumstances on September 12, 2023. They emphasized the need for substituted service to ensure the witnesses’ prompt attendance at court.
Efforts to serve the witnesses through the court had previously been unsuccessful, prompting the request for alternative methods of service.
The court also approved the recall of Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, ASP Muhammad Yusuf, following a request from lawyer Akinpelu Ogunbona. Ogunbona argued that there were new issues that required clarification from both Wunmi and the police.
The coroner has adjourned the proceedings, instructing that the witness summonses be served through the specified means and that the witnesses appear in court on the next adjourned date.
Mohbad, who was 27 years old at the time of his death, was a former signee of Marlian Music, a label owned by Naira Marley.
His death, which sparked widespread controversy, led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial socialite Sam Larry.
The Lagos State Police Command had earlier set up a 13-man special investigation team to probe the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death. Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
