L-R: Naira Marley Sam Lary Mohbad.
Who Killed Mohbad? This is the question on the lips of music lovers in Nigeria.
Newsone reports that Nigerian street hop singer and former rapper under Naira Marley’s Marlian Music record label, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad is dead.
This online news platform understands that Mohbad died in the early hours of Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
According to PulseNG, the rapper sadly passed away from an ear infection. Sources from the singer’s team told the news platform that he took a trip to the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, September 12, for treatment, after which he was administered an injection.
PulseNG also claimed that Aloba was taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries however, he “reportedly passed out and did not wake up after.” Reports also claim that the singer died from a middle ear infection called Otitis. This causes immense redness, swelling, and excess fluid in one’s eardrum.
Late Mohbad was buried in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, amid tears as musicians around the world and Nigerians continue to ask who killed Mohbad.
Before his death on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Mohbad accused his boss Naira Marley, and the Marlian record label of being after his life.
In a distressing video the singer appeared in before he died, Mohbad could be seen lamenting about his life which may be in danger as he struggles to make a conversation with a group of people.
“I didn’t know these people have been hating on me; they have been doing bad bad things on me. Because of this issue; everybody in the whole world please help me, if I die like this, it is Marlian Music and Naira Marley that killed me…”
The king of Imole, Mohbad’s management announced his exit from Naira Marley’s record label on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, as his legal team released a statement asserting that Mohbad’s exit was a result of the constant attacks he received, which were allegedly orchestrated by Naira Marley, and unpaid royalties since 2019.
Mohbad exited from the record label weeks after he took to Twitter on October 5, 2023, to reveal bloodied bodies, claiming that it was a result of being assaulted by the Marlian crew because he requested to have his manager changed.
“Just because I want to change my manager who is their brother, see what they did to me at Marlian House,” he had tweeted, saying “World pls help me oo I’m dying inside.”
Revealing that he was at the hospital for a CT Scan for head impact and chest X-ray as a result of the assault, he added “I’m not high oo cos that is what dey always say just to die down everything.”
Mohbad accused Naira Marley of being present during the assault and doing nothing to stop it. The artiste also accused Marlian Music record label of refusing to pay him his royalties from monetised intellectual content and advances as mutually agreed since 2019.
“In contravention of the terms of the arrangement between our client and yourself, you have failed to pay any advances as mutually agreed by both parties since 2019 till date; “You have also failed to pay all royalties due our client from all his intellectual property works monetized, released and utilised by you from 2019 till date,” the document read.
A video currently trending on the micro-blogging site, X formerly known as Twitter, shows that the late Mohbad was bullied and almost assaulted by Sam Larry during a video shoot if not for the intervention of fellow musician, Zlatan Ibile.
Lagos socialite and show promoter, Samson Erinfolabi Balogun, popularly known as Sam Larry, who was accused of having a hand in the death of singer Mohbad, has finally broken his silence.
Sam Larry, an associate of the owner of Marlian Music that formerly signed Mohbad, Naira Marley, came under heavy fire on the internet after a video of him and his men disrupting Mohbad’s video shoot with Zlatan Ibile surfaced on social media.
Addressing the allegations in a trending video on social media, Larry denied having a hand in Mohbad’s death, describing him as his beloved brother.
“Mohbad is my brother. When he was signed to Marlian Records, he knew I loved him so much. Even his wife and everyone else know that I love Mohbad.
“Everywhere I go, whether it is Kenya or Dubai, I will call him so that we can go together. I will pay Marlian Records for a show, and we will go together.
“The videos going viral happened last year when I was not in the country. So, I can’t kill Mohbad, God sees my heart, and I love him so much. I don’t know anything about his death.”
Nigerian singer and rapper, Naira Marley, has spoken for the first time since Mohbad died on Tuesday.
Mohbad passed away under controversial circumstances and was buried on Wednesday in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
In a statement posted on his Instagram on Friday, Naira Marley said he is “heartbroken” by Mohbad’s death, adding that he will “be truly missed”.
The Marlian Record label boss admitted that although they had “disagreements, no harm whatsoever was wished on Mohbad”.
Naira Marley also condoled with Mohbad’s family, while demanding a thorough investigation into the 27-year-old’s death.
On the flip side, in a turn that could easily be described as adding fuel to an already raging fire, a screenshot from a WhatsApp conversation shared by popular Instagram blog Wahala Network purports an entirely different story. According to the widely circulated screenshot, it is alleged that the rapper fell victim to an act of voodoo, locally known as ‘juju,’ during a recent performance in Ikorodu, Lagos State. This alternative narrative has ignited debates and instigated more questions than answers, as fans and industry experts alike grapple with the obscurity surrounding Mohbad’s sudden demise.
Gistlover also claimed the same that Mohbad was hit with juju.
The Nigerian Police in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, averred that the force is committed to a comprehensive investigation into the matter as the Lagos State Commissioner of Police has been tasked to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death.
The force stated that it understands the concerns regarding his untimely demise. “Rest assured, updates will be provided as investigations unfold,” the statement partly reads,” while encouraging members or close associates with valuable information to approach the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to assist in the process.
“In the meantime, we kindly request that individuals refrain from making statements or engaging in activities that could jeopardize the ongoing investigation,” it added.
The Lagos State Police command in a separate forum said the corpse of the late singer would be exhumed for autopsy to aid investigation into the cause of his death, if it is necessary.
Mohbad’s cause of death has been a subject of controversy since the tragic incident. Speaking during an Instagram live session on Thursday night, the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police would probe to know the cause of Mohbad’s death. A couple of names had allegedly been mentioned relating to the death of the Ikorodu-born Mohbad.