The family of the late Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, has revealed plans to conduct a separate autopsy and toxicology test as part of efforts to determine the cause of the deceased’s death.
The head of the family’s legal team, Monisola Odumosu, disclosed this in an exclusive chat with PUNCH Metro on Thursday.
Odumosu said the family was planning to file an application at the Lagos State High Court to commence the process.
The Director of Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, Dr Richard Somiari, told the Coroner’s Court sitting in the Ikorodu area of the state on Wednesday that the results of an autopsy conducted on Mohbad would be ready in the next three or four weeks.
However, Odumosu explained that Mohbad’s family considered the test being carried out by the state government too slow and expressed concerns about the process by which the autopsy was conducted.
He added that no expert represented the family at the point the autopsy was conducted.
“We filed an application at the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday to conduct our own autopsy and toxicology test, but the Magistrate said he did not have the power to approve that and told us to approach the High Court.
“We are already preparing our documents to go to the High Court so that we can ask for permission to organise our own autopsy and toxicology test. We have been planning this before now because we feel the government is too slow.
“They disclosed on a radio programme about three weeks ago that they were just about to send it to the US and that may take about 10 to 12 months, which is too long considering the fact that they had taken a sample from the body almost five months earlier. So why do we have to wait for so long?
“Secondly, when the autopsy was being conducted, representatives of the family should have been someone who is well-informed on the issue of the autopsy; an expert who would confirm if it was properly done. But they just called anyone,” the family’s legal representative said.
Odumosu further disclosed that the family wanted to be sure if what they took from the deceased’s body was what they transferred for a toxicology test in America. He also confirmed that the separate test would be conducted in the United States.
“We are also planning to do it in the United States. Another reason why we took the decision was because, for instance, if someone is poisoned, at a point in time, it will evaporate, and no test can discover it. So, we don’t want to wait until that has happened before we think of doing our test and discover that nothing was found,” he said.
Mohbad died on September 12 at the age of 27, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.
As a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label in February 2022.
The Lagos State Police Command had on September 18, 2023, inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the death.
His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.
The body of Mohbad was exhumed for autopsy on September 21, 2023, to unravel the cause of his death.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeted in September 2023 that an “autopsy has been concluded” and the police were “awaiting result.
