Family conducts new autopsy on Mohbad

In the bid to determine the cause of death and achieve justice for late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, his family has conducted a fresh autopsy.

In June, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Magistrate of the Coroner Court sitting in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State granted the ‘KPK’ crooner’s family permission to conduct a second autopsy.

The order was granted following the family’s rejection and dissatisfaction with the inconclusive initial autopsy results.

In its Wednesday report, Punch newspaper said Monisola Odumosu, a member of Aloba’s legal team, announced the completion of the second autopsy in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Odumosu noted that the family will proceed with toxicology and histology tests on the collected samples if the post-mortem procedure fails to reveal the cause of death.

The statement partly read: “The second autopsy, as requested by the Aloba family and ordered by the Magistrate of the Coroner Court, Ms T.A. Shotobi, was conducted on 19 July and 20 July 2024. This autopsy is a two-part exercise, with the first part now completed.

“If the cause of death cannot be determined from this initial examination, the second part will proceed, involving a toxicology and histology test on the necessary samples already obtained.”

Autopsy witnesses

Mr Odumosu stated that Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, two separate pathologists appointed by him and Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, witnessed the autopsy procedure.

“This comprehensive procedure, conducted last Friday, was witnessed only by Mr Joseph Aloba, the forensic pathologist appointed by Mr Joseph Aloba and his team, legal representatives of both Mr Joseph Aloba and a pathologist appointed by Wunmi Aloba to observe the procedure,” the statement added.

Since Mohbad, 27, died on 12 September 2023 under mysterious circumstances, his father and family have tirelessly pursued justice.

Nearly a year after his death, conflicting reports regarding the cause of death continue.

Public outcry for answers regarding Mohbad’s cause of death led to the exhumation of his body on 21 September 2023 for an autopsy conducted by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

The autopsy, initiated in September 2023 but not released until 7 June, was unable to determine the cause of his death.

The inconclusive autopsy results were attributed to body decomposition and possible reactions to medications administered before his death.

DNA, properties

Beyond the demand for answers surrounding Mohbad’s death, questions lingered about his son, Liam’s paternity and his properties. Since his passing, his family has been grappling with these unresolved issues.

Mr Aloba repeatedly called for a DNA test on Liam during various media appearances. In a recent interview on Berekete Family, a human rights-focused radio and television program, Mr Aloba claimed Mohbad himself questioned Liam’s paternity while alive.

He insisted on a DNA test before his son’s reburial.

However, this newspaper reported that Magistrate A.B. Olagbegi-Adelabu of Magistrate’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos, adjourned proceedings on the DNA test application filed to determine Liam’s paternity.

The adjournment, the date of which was undisclosed, was for the hearing of all pending applications related to the DNA test. It followed the ongoing settlement talks between the Aloba family and Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi.

Mr Odumosu said the court directed both parties to pursue alternative dispute resolution during its session on 9 July.

However, despite efforts, the negotiations did not end in an agreement. Mr Odumosu attributed the failure to “external factors.”