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| Who is responsible for Mohbads Death |
As the Nigerian Police launches an investigation into the death of musician Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, better known by his stage as Mohbad, it appears that this is the question on the minds of many worried Nigerians. In response to criticism of the afrobeats musician's murder, the force pledged in a statement to conduct a thorough inquiry.
Sadly, the talented singer and songwriter went away on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police has been tasked with determining the circumstances surrounding his death, and it was stated in the statement issued by the force's public relations officer that the force is committed to a thorough investigation into the incident.
The force acknowledged that it comprehended the worries of his untimely passing. Part of the announcement states, "Rest assured, updates will be provided as investigations unfold," and invites family members or close friends with important information to contact the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to help with the investigation.
We sincerely ask that people refrain from saying or doing anything that would endanger the ongoing inquiry in the interim, it continued. In a separate forum, the Lagos State Police command stated that, if necessary, the deceased singer's body would be exhumed for an autopsy to help with the cause of death inquiry.
Since the unfortunate event, there has been debate concerning the reason for his demise. SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the State Police Public Relations Officer, said during a Thursday night Instagram Live session that the police would look into Mohbad's death to see what caused it. According to reports, a few names had been cited in connection with the passing of Mohbad, who was born in Ikorodu.
Among them are Samson Balogun, also known as Sam Larry, a music promoter, and Afeez Fashola, the head of his estranged record label and alias Naira Marly.
The Elegushi Royal Family of Eti-Osa, Lagos State, separated their family from the troubled Sam Larry during the controversy surrounding Mohbad's death.
Last Thursday, the Elegushi family made their position clear in a statement issued by the Palace, in which the Royal Family condemned any association with the music promoter. "The Elegushi Royal Family of Eti-Osa desires to correct the inaccurate information regarding Samson Erinfolami Balogun (also known as Sam Larry) that has appeared in the media. Samson Balogun is not a member of the royal family and holds no official position with them or the monarch.
Like other members of the public, he goes to the palace to pay respect to the king and seek the king's blessing, just like other celebrities, politicians, religious, and community leaders. In addition to offering our sympathies to the late Ilerioluwa Aloba (also known as MohBad's) family and friends, we would like to join the requests for a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death in order to uncover any foul play.
We kindly request that the media respect the delicate nature of the situation and refrain from propagating rumors that could endanger the inquiry. This comes after the deceased singer's plea to the FCID Annex, Alagbon, Lagos State, appeared online, in which the deceased claimed, among other things, that Sam Larry and others had threatened his life, caused intentional damage, assaulted him, and oppressed him.
Additionally, in a video that has been going viral online, Mohbad, whose bones were hastily buried last Wednesday, was seen being attacked by some others who were apparently headed by Sam Larry as they were filming a video. In the video, Sam Larry and other lads attacked the late singer who was talking while he and another afrobeats performer, Omoniyi Temidayo aka Zlatan Ibile, were on the set of a music video. Many Nigerians were incensed by the video and flocked to Larry's Instagram page to condemn him for intimidating and threatening the late singer.
The late musician, however, pleaded with the Nigeria Police Force to defend him against Sam Larry and his team of 15, in a petition dated June 27, 2023. The petition was addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon in Ikoyi, Lagos and was titled "Petition of Threat to Life, Malicious Damage of Properties Valued at the Sum of Five Million Naira, Assault Occasionaling Harm, Oppression and Conduct Likely to Cause a Breach of Peace against Sam Larry Elegushi, Elele, Obele and Others."
Mohbad and Zlatan Ibile were working on a video shoot when Sam Larry and other people, who were all armed, allegedly attacked the location and threatened to cause mayhem. He said, "They eventually assaulted him (Mohbad) before he just barely escaped with injuries after they destroyed equipment valued at over N5 million at the scene."
Since his death was revealed, there has been an incredible outpouring of sadness. a briefed dream. He was allegedly attacked several times and abused by his former labelmates, Naira Marley, Zinoleski, and others. That alone was enough to put him in a bad mood. But the Afropop artist, troubled in many ways, always reacted with music, which was all he knew how to do. He waxed poetic about his obstacle. He had a death foreboding, as is evident.
In contrast to the rumors circulating in the music industry, Mohbad's wife Wunmi stated the late singer lived in terror right up until the end.
Wunmi, who is married to Mohbad and has a kid, claimed that the singer was continuously concerned for their safety and wished they had left the country after the birth of their son. As she implied that some people were responsible for Mohbad's death, the late 27-year-old singer's wife said that he wanted to fight his battle on his own. She wrote in a post, "He struggled until death, too many aches, threatening, he has always lived in terror, constant fights everywhere he goes, he has never been joyful for a whole day.
She also refuted claims that he had mental health problems. "He was labeled a junkie, a lunatic, and a mental patient so that the public would have a different perception of him. Take your prize; at least he's dead and you all won. At the age of 24, you made me a widow," Mohbad's wife lamented in her letter. As additional information about the well-known Nigerian singer's passing becomes out, it continues to elicit strong feelings and responses online. It's good that an inquiry has started by the Nigerian Police Force.
The global outcry of mourning in response to his demise, as someone aptly said, "speaks to the recognizable beam of light that the singer and rapper projected to the world during a memorable 27-year stint on earth." Street-pop, an Afropop subgenre characterized by existential lyrics and real-life stories of overcoming adversity, has been on the rise for the past five years. The epicenter of that wave was Mohbad.
"Mohbad was one of a number of Ikorodu-born stars who comprised street-pop's second generation and carried the anger and insecurities of inner-city kids to the broader world through music, thanks to a recognizable baritone-tinged voice, his raspy delivery style, and a remarkable command of English. What actually distinguished Mohbad from his colleagues even in his early years was a complete conviction that he had a message to impart to the world.
Imole, a soul-tinged rap-sung declaration of intent with the phrase, "Imole ni mi/ mo de fe tan kari aye," which translates to "I'm the light and I want to shine all over the world," was released in 2019 in between dropping street smashes like "Ronaldo" and "Mi O Foh." Later that year, a contract with Naira Marley's Marlian Records was negotiated, which was intended to support Mohbad's aims for a universal impact and lay the groundwork for those ambitions.
