A Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State, has ordered substituted service on key witnesses in the inquest into the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.
The witnesses include Naira Marley (Azeez Fashola), Sam Larry (Samson Eletu), Mohbad’s sister-in-law, Karimot Ogunbayo, and others such as his lawyer, nurse, and driver.
Magistrate T. A. Sotobi approved the request from Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, allowing the witnesses to be summoned through national newspapers and social media.
This application was supported by the Aloba family’s legal team, led by Wahab Shittu SAN, seeking to compel these individuals to testify about the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s suspicious death on September 12, 2023.
The court agreed to issue witness summonses and to permit substituted service as the most effective means of ensuring witness attendance.
The legal team revealed that attempts to serve witness summonses to key individuals in the case of singer Mohbad’s death have been unsuccessful. The Coroner’s Court has now approved recalling Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, and the investigating police officer, ASP Muhammad Yusuf, due to new issues needing clarification.
A lawyer representing Primeboy, Akinpelu Ogunbona, argued that Wunmi and the police must clarify ambiguities regarding a fight she mentioned. The court adjourned for the compliance of these orders and expects the witnesses to be present at the next hearing.
Mohbad, who died on September 12, 2023, at 27 years old, had left Marlian Music, owned by Naira Marley, in 2022. Following his death, a 13-man investigation team was set up, leading to the arrests of Naira Marley, Sam Larry, and others. The singer’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy.
