The advocacy group Team Justice in Nigeria and the Diaspora has raised concerns over attempts to sideline the late singer Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, from the ongoing DNA testing aimed at confirming the paternity of his grandson, Liam.
The group maintained that Aloba has the legal right to oversee the procedure.
Aloba had earlier indicated in a viral video that Mohbad’s burial would proceed only after the DNA results were concluded.
In a statement issued by coordinator Toby Bart, Team Justice said, “there was no legal or moral basis for the government or any agency to take over the procedure or insist on state-supervised sampling in what is a purely family-initiated matter.”
The statement added, “The law is straightforward. The person who contests paternity and requests a DNA test controls the process. In this case, that person is Mohbad’s father. DNA tests are private medical procedures unless ordered by a court or required within a criminal investigation. No Lagos court has ordered a DNA test, and the police report does not classify the DNA as a forensic necessity. Therefore, the state has no lawful jurisdiction to impose itself.”
The dispute comes after a recent development at the Magistrates Court in Ikorodu, where a new application filed by Aloba’s lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, was reportedly set aside. The application sought the DNA test to be conducted in two independent laboratories in the United States and the United Kingdom, with samples collected by Aloba’s appointed experts.
Ogungbe said the court instead recommended that the samples be collected under its supervision and sent to an unspecified foreign laboratory.
Team Justice rejected this approach, insisting: “There is no justification for excluding Baba from the process he initiated or replacing an internationally verifiable multi-lab plan with an unnamed foreign lab.” The group cautioned that involving the same state agencies responsible for Mohbad’s “controversial exhumation” and the “inconclusive autopsy and toxicology report” could erode public trust.
The group also laid out strict conditions for the DNA test: samples must be gathered by Aloba’s expert team, testing must occur in two separate laboratories in the US and UK, and all procedures must follow an internationally recognised, transparent chain of custody.
“Justice cannot be selective or shielded. It must be visible, verifiable, and beyond interference. We stand with Baba Mohbad and with every Nigerian demanding accountability and transparency. The truth must be established in a way that leaves no room for doubt. As we await the Certified True Copy of today’s ruling, we encourage the family to appeal this decision immediately,” the statement concluded.
This ongoing conflict underscores the tensions between Mohbad’s family and his widow, Wunmi Adebanjo, over the paternity of their son and the management of the late singer’s estate. In November, the family renewed calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death.
Following his passing at 27 on September 12, 2023, the Lagos State Police Command established a 13-member special investigation team to probe the incident. Earlier filings by Aloba at the Ikorodu Coroner’s Court sought to determine the cause of death, with the subsequent DNA test intended to settle the paternity dispute.
