The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an application by an NGO seeking leave to request a court order compelling the Inspector-General of Police to reopen investigations into the death of singer Mohbad.
Justice James Omotosho gave the approval on Wednesday while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by Chief Tunde Falola on behalf of the Registered Trustees of Break the Silence Foundation.
The organisation filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/363/2026 against the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command.
The NGO is seeking an order of mandamus to compel the police to properly discharge their statutory duties under the Police Act 2020 by carrying out a more thorough investigation into the singer’s death in September 2023.
In granting the request, Justice Omotosho allowed the group to proceed with an application compelling the respondents to act in line with their legal responsibilities.
“The police are to invite all persons, who were last seen with the deceased particularly his wife, one Omowumi Cynthia Aloba and close associates, as well as the deceased’s father, one Joseph Aloba of Ikorodu Area, Lagos,” the court stated.
The judge also authorised the police to arrest and prosecute anyone found culpable, saying:
“The order is to also give the police permission to arrest and charge, where evidence so warrants, such other persons found to be directly or indirectly responsible for the death of the deceased.”
He further permitted substituted service of court documents on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police through the office of the Inspector-General’s Legal Department at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The matter was adjourned to May 4 for hearing.
According to court filings deposed to by Bright Bassey, a Litigation Secretary in the law firm of Tunde Falola & Co, the NGO argued that the initial police investigation was incomplete.
The affidavit stated that the organisation’s chairman, Mr Lukmon Fabiyi, was personally connected to the late singer and was seeking justice on his behalf.
It further noted that Mohbad’s death triggered widespread protests both within and outside Nigeria, as many members of the public questioned the circumstances surrounding it.
The police had earlier arrested and prosecuted a nurse alleged to have treated an injury sustained by the singer before his death, but the NGO insisted that other key individuals were not properly investigated.
Bassey added that the group had petitioned the Presidency, leading to a directive for a fresh investigation and the transfer of the case to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja.
He said the NGO later wrote several letters demanding a more transparent probe, including calls for the inclusion of Mohbad’s father in the investigation process.
However, he alleged that the police failed to carry out a comprehensive reinvestigation, prompting the court action.
The NGO maintained that it was acting in the public interest to ensure justice for the late musician.
