Naira Marley, the Nigerian singer and head of Marlian Records, appeared virtually before a Magistrate Court in Ikorodu on Friday, as part of the Coroner’s inquest into the death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad.
During the proceedings, Naira Marley provided the court with details regarding Mohbad’s passing and used the opportunity to clear his name of the accusations leveled against him.
The Marlian boss began his testimony by informing Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi that he had signed Mohbad to his record label, intending to release four albums. However, Marley explained that the albums were never completed due to ongoing disputes between Mohbad and his manager, Opere Babatunde.
Marley denied any involvement in threatening or molesting Mohbad, referencing a police report that exonerated him from such claims. He dismissed the allegations as mere fabrications.
Regarding the viral video in which Mohbad stated that he and the Marlian crew should be held responsible if anything happened to him, Naira Marley testified that Mohbad and his family later apologised for the video, attributing it to Mohbad being under the influence of drugs at the time.
The singer reiterated that there were no issues between him and the late artist. He further distanced himself from Mohbad’s death, stating that he had not seen the singer for a year prior to his passing and was out of the country when the incident occurred.
A second witness, Oluwasanmi Falade, Mohbad’s lawyer, contested Marley’s claims of no conflict between the two. Falade revealed that a dispute had existed between Marlian Records and Mohbad over unpaid royalties. At Mohbad’s request, the lawyer had sent multiple letters to the record label but received no response. Falade confirmed that the matter was now in litigation before the Federal High Court.
The lawyer also testified that Mohbad had been attacked at Lekki Beach by music promoter Sam Larry. On his advice, Mohbad had reported the assault to the Force Headquarters, but two attempts to apprehend Sam Larry had failed.
Following the testimonies, Magistrate Shotobi ordered Sam Larry to appear before the Coroner’s Court at the next hearing. The Coroner also instructed the parties involved to confirm the address of Mohbad’s driver, so he could be summoned to testify. Additionally, the pathologist who conducted an independent autopsy on Mohbad was directed to submit a copy of the findings to the Coroner’s Court and to forward them to the Chief Coroner before the next hearing.
The proceedings were adjourned to April 11, when Sam Larry is expected to testify.
