- Mohbad’s struggle with Naira Marley
- Zinoleesky’s US tour gets cancelled
- Artists Clamouring for Mohbad’s Justice
- Artists who donated to Mohbad’s family
- Clout chasing in the name of Mohbad
- The political arena gets a whiff of Mohbad’s death
- What is Mohbad’s father being accused of?
- Mohbad’s exhumation and autopsy
Born in June 1996 and died in September 2023, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba (Mohbad), the Nigerian rapper and singer-songwriter, has become the latest reason for Nigerians and Africans abroad to protest against the ill-treatment of artists signed under sketchy record labels in the music industry, especially the Nigerian music industry.
Since the announcement of the death of the Imole singer, videos amidst other evidence against his ex-record label members have surfaced on the internet, suggesting that Mohbad’s death may not have been as natural as the people around him initially painted it.
Fingers have been pointed toward his ex-record label manager, Naira Marley, and his affiliate, Sam Larry, as the young artist was continuously bullied until he died.
Here’s All you May Not Have Known Since Mohbad’s Suspicious Burial
The artist was said to have been rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead due to an ear infection. While the whole nation is waiting for the results of his autopsy, very little is known about the real cause of his death.
However, since his death hit social media, videos have been dug out, showing Mohbad being bullied and beaten by thugs.
A video may have suggested that the artist was alive when he was buried, as recorded in a moving vehicle. It looked like he gulped in the position he was put in, but this is something that only the people with him at the time can verify.
Mohbad’s struggle with Naira Marley
Naira Marley signed Mohbad into Marlian Music in 2019, where the artist released some hit songs; although all seemed to be well from the external point of view, that was not what it looked like between the two Nigerian artists.
In 2022, Mohbad announced on a Marlian Whatsapp group chat that he was searching for a new manager as he no longer wished to continue with his ex-manager, Tunde, Naira Marley’s brother.
Tunde did not take this news well, as it began the battle between Mohbad and the executives of Marlian Music.
According to Mohbad, Tunde had revolted against his decision in the group and visited Mohbad at his home to change his mind about terminating his services for the singer. Unfortunately, while in the studio with Tunde and several other boys whom the late artist identified as Marley’s boys, it became apparent that Tunde was growing agitated and, soon after, violent; he attacked Mohbad and his crew.
Mohbad posted on his X (formerly Twitter) page to alert the public about his experience with his producer. A day after this tweet, he made a thread accusing the Marlian Family of not being welcoming to him.
“As an artist from the street, I thought the Marlian Family would be a good place for me. However, recent events and certain truths have come to light, threatening my peace, health, and career,” he said.
He stated that he could barely escape as Tunde and Naira Marley were present when he was beaten on the 4th of October, 2022. He said that Naira Marley had lied on so many occasions to push his narrative, as the Marlian leader had claimed that Mohbad had insinuated the attack, which led to Mohbad and two of his friends being hospitalised.
Mohbad also suffered attacks from Naira Marley’s affiliate and friend, Sam Larry, an entertainer who was seen in videos disrupting a music shoot with Mohbad and Zlatan on set. Zlatan was quick to step in before Sam Larry could do any more damage to Mohbad.
After this incident, which occurred in June 2023, Mohbad filed a petition to the police, accusing Sam Larry and his crew of damages worth millions of Naira.
Sam Larry has come out to say he had no hand in the death of Mohbad, as he admitted to having ‘beef’ with the late singer, but that was not enough for him to kill Mohbad.
Since Mohbad’s death, Naira Marley has taken to the internet to announce his innocence in the killing of Mohbad, and he changed his Instagram profile picture to glorify Mohbad. He called for all to serve justice and honour the artist’s name, but the netizens are not having any of it as Naira has lost over 700,000 followers. His music is being boycotted by media platforms such as MTV Base, Soundcity, ISplash FM, Fresh FM, Island FM, Divine, etc.
Zinoleesky’s US tour gets cancelled
Zinoleesky, an artist signed to Marlian Music, had his US tour cancelled by the show’s promoter following the news of Mohbad’s death. Zinoleesky was set to perform in ten cities across the United States. However, a statement was released announcing that the tour would no longer be held “due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.”
In an interview in 2023, Zinoleesky stated that Mohbad was more of an acquaintance than a friend, as those he would call his friends were people he identified to be much closer to him than the relationship or lack thereof between him and the late artist.
“Yeah, Mohbad is my guy, but I can’t say he’s my friend like that. He is my friend, but people I call my friend are very close to me,” he stated.
Although we are not sure if the reason for his tour cancellation is because of the ongoing drama surrounding Mohbad’s death, it is coincidental.
Protest and Candlelight Processions For Mohbad
Mohbad’s fans have taken to the streets to protest for justice for the Peace singer locally and internationally.
Hundreds of protesters have been recorded walking the streets with placards requesting #justiceformohbad in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Akure, Delta State, and Lagos State.
The youths, dressed in black, walked down the roads in a massive show of support for the late artist as they played his songs and held high their placards.
Candlelight processions have also been held in Lagos with a recording of several celebrities like Davido in attendance.
The candlelight processions have gone beyond Nigeria as recently, Bella Shmurda held a candlelight procession for Mohbad in Canada, where he stated that the singer was his best friend.
Some Nigerians in London have also shown respect for the artist by coming out for a candlelight procession. The procession was held at Peckham, South London, as they were seen singing the artist’s songs.
Artists Clamouring for Mohbad’s Justice
Several artists worldwide have come out to show their support for Mohbad’s death as they, along with Nigerians (both old and young), clamour for the exhumation and autopsy of the late singer.
Everyone in the Nigerian entertainment industry has taken an interest in Mohbad’s death as more evidence keeps surfacing the internet daily, revealing that the singer may not have died naturally but was killed by those around him. Actors, actresses, and singers have all supported Mohbad in the #justiceformohbad, which has been trending on X for days.
Temmie Ovwasa, an ex-signee of Olamide’s YBNL record label, was among the first artists who revealed the trauma young artists experience from their bosses in the name of fame. She took to social media to tell her truth while requesting that Mohbad’s death be investigated.
Iyabo Ojo, a veteran movie actress, has also been vocal about her support for Mohbad, calling out Naira Marley for his ill-treatment of his ex-signee, claiming that the Marlian boss ignored all signs that Mohbad was “mentally unstable.”
A-list Nigerian celebs like Davido and Burna Boy have also spoken out and paid respect to the deceased artist.
Famous comedian Seyi Law advised Nigerian label owners to stop making their artists sign a deadly contract.
“Some of you have sworn that talents that left you will never rise, and you block them from radios, TV, and shows. You can take the shots because you are mini-gods,” he said.
On Air Personality, Chinedu Ani (Nedu) has called the Nigerian music industry for what he thinks it is: a dark one.
Another A-list actress, Tonto Dikeh, spoke out concerning the Mohbad issue, calling him a son and a friend to Nigerians. She admitted that we (the collective Nigerians) may have failed Mohbad in life, but we would not fail him again.
“That is why we are here to tell you that we are solidly behind you; the world is behind you. Nobody is going to rest as long as the justice that Mohbad needs is not given. We are all ready to fight for that justice, which is why we are here today and fighting,” she said.
American rappers Meek Mill and Lil Durk supported Mohbad as the artists shared their condolences on social media.
Lil Durk took to X to offer his condolences to Mohbad. His tweet “RIP Mohbad aka Imole” has since garnered 11.2 million views on the app.
Meek Mill also appreciated the love Nigerians have shown Mohbad since the news of his death by quoting Lil Durk’s message.
“I watched his whole story on TikTok, they riding for him in Nigeria. I love that,” he said.
Artists who donated to Mohbad’s family
Several other artists and public figures have gone the extra mile to show love to Mohbad by donating money to his family (his wife and child).
Davido is known for being benevolent to people in need, and this time, the artist has proven to be one of the most reliable and kind artists in the Nigerian music industry, as he donated 2 million naira to Mohbad’s family. Not only did he contribute to his cause, he also took a moment to address Mohbad’s death at a recent performance in Manchester.
Khaid, a Nigerian singer, has also demonstrated his love for the Peace singer’s family by donating 2 million to Mohbad’s wife.
Tonto Dikeh vowed to care for Mohbad’s son, promising to pay for his educational needs till he reached secondary school. She also said the child would receive a monthly stipend of 100,000 for the next 12 months.
Lastly, Mubarak Abuche, Chairman of Almubee Group in Nigeria, promised Mohbad’s wife 2 million naira with a university scholarship for her son.
Clout chasing in the name of Mohbad
Although some influencers and celebrities with no compassion will go ahead to take charge of the spotlight that Mohbad had earned, a few artists have been accused of clout chasing with Mohbad’s name.
Rema and Oxlade have both shown screenshots of what looks to be a one-sided conversation between them and Mohbad in their Instagram DMs. According to the images surfacing on the internet, Rema had Mohbad’s account restricted, and Oxlade never replied to his message.
Both artists have since come under fire for their actions, with netizens wondering why they needed to post such things in the first place.
Daniel Regha, a Twitter influencer, called out the hypocrisy of political presidential candidates like Peter Obi, who has chosen not to speak up about Mohbad’s demise.
In his tweet, Daniel claimed that if Mohbad had died during campaign season, then top politicians would have been paying condolences to his family and calling for the arrest of his assaulters; however, since such was not the case, and elections were over, they have no benefit from doing things like this. Hence, they have chosen to go silent on the matter.
“Fighting for the masses indeed. Pathetic,” he said.
The political arena gets a whiff of Mohbad’s death
The sudden death of Oladimeji has shaken the country as youths and elders have all been exposed to the alleged truth behind Mohbad’s death.
The attention of Nigeria’s politicians has been called to the death of Mohbad as they ask for the exhumation of his corpse and for an autopsy to be carried out to determine the actual cause of his death.
Despite being a Christian, Oladimeji was buried the following day after being pronounced dead, which was an odd thing to do, and upon seeing the news regarding his death, several political leaders spoke up about the exhumation of Mohbad’s body.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Creative Economy, Elisha Abbo, visited Mohbad’s mother (Promise Aloba) alongside actresses Tonyo Dikeh and Iyabo Ojo to pay his condolences.
At the venue, Elisha Abbo expressed the will of the National Assembly, which was first to console the family as no one could bring Ilerioluwa back.
He let her know that the Nigerian government would do everything in its power to investigate her son’s death.
On September 14, the PRO of the Nigerian Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, announced that the police officers were committed to conducting a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the artist’s death.
On September 16, the Police PRO of Lagos State, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, also announced a special investigation squad within the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) will begin an investigation.
The Lagos Government disclosed that Babajide Sanwo-Olu had invited the DSS to take part in the investigation of Mohbad’s death.
The governor stated that he had instructed those suspected of having a hand in Mohbad’s death to face investigation. His statement came after hundreds of Nigerians began protesting for the exhumation and performance of an autopsy on the late singer.
The famous SAN, Femi Falana, has requested a coroner inquest into the death of Mohbad; he wrote a letter addressed to the Chief Coroner of the High Court of Lagos State where he described the rapper’s death as a tragic instance but believed it was mysterious how he died.
What is Mohbad’s father being accused of?
Nigerians have called out Mohbad’s father (Joseph Aloba) for burying his son too early and denying the body a chance to be examined.
In an interview, the man revealed that in Yoruba culture, keeping a child’s body preserved when both parents are alive was not supported.
However, if he (Mohbad) had died at an older age, preserving his body in a mortuary would have been effective, but that was not the case. He also claimed that the land on which Mohbad was buried belonged to the late singer, and it was closer to a church.
The Baale of Ikorodu, who doubles as the Chairman of the Landlords Association in Lagos, narrated how he stopped Mohbad’s father from coming to bury his son at midnight the very same day he learned of the death of his son.
Although there seems to be more than meets the eye with Joseph Aloba for wanting to bury his son quickly, the public is yet to know.
Mohbad’s exhumation and autopsy
Due to the request of the people and the Lagos State government, Mohbad’s body was exhumed and taken for autopsy; however, when his corpse was exhumed, there were sightings of blood in his grave, which professional doctors came to say could have been due to the unnatural position of his back in the grave since the coffin was not the right size for the deceased artist.
Since the autopsy began, it has been discovered that the nurse who injected Mohbad was not registered or fit to carry out such a task. The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has released her to the custody of the police officers, saying she is an ‘Auxiliary Nurse.’
“Our preliminary investigations indicate that the individual reportedly taken into custody by the police for providing care to Mohbad is not a registered Nurse,” they said.
On September 21, the PRO for Lagos State Police officers announced that the autopsy was concluded and awaiting the coroner’s results. Nigerians wait with bated breath as the truth about Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba’s death is uncovered.
Ayomitide Adeyinka is a content writer, crypto journalist and editor with a Bsc in Political Science. He is also an egalitarian.
