Mohbad Death: Police warns individuals to stop trending with singers death; Protesters hold tribute concert as police disperse sympathisers with teargas at Lekki tollgate

The Nigeria Police Force has advised individuals visiting the parents of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba better known as Mohbad to desist from using the singer’s death to trend on social media.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi issued this piece of advice while speaking about the late singer and the candlelight procession organised in his memory on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

Adejobi said sympathisers who visit Mohbad’s parents to ask them questions are interfering with the investigation process of the security agencies handling the matter.

“Individuals are coming out to interview (the deceased ) mother and father, for what purpose? They are affecting the process of investigation because if you ask someone a question during interrogation, the second time you’re asking the same question is not going to be the same thing. He must have a second thought that what I said the first time might not be the truth. But if you have gone there even before the police, you go there to ask the man questions, by the time the police would go, the man must have reduced all his statements. You are affecting the process of investigation.”

The Force PRO said the sympathisers should allow the bereaved to mourn rather than using their predicament for social media engagements.

“People will just go, do a video saying ‘see the mother of Mohbad’. It is not worth it. You don’t trend on issues like this. People are mourning. The wife is mourning, the children or the child is mourning, partners are mourning, and then you go there because you want to cruise. Anything you do on Mohbad now, you’re going to have large engagements, perhaps many want to get money from Twitter or Instagram. No! Don’t cruise with Mohbad’s death. Let us morning him and allow the police and security agencies to carry out investigations. This is what we have promised”, Adejobi said.

Adejobi’s piece of advice to sympathisers came after Senator Elisha Abbo, and Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh’s condolence visit to the family of the late singer on Thursday.

Mohbad, 27, mysteriously died on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, after he allegedly received a treatment for an infection at a private hospital in Lagos.

His death has raised many questions as Nigerians generally demand justice with many pointing fingers at the founder of the Marlian Records label, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, known professionally as Naira Marley, and his associate, Sammy Larry, who are both out of the country.

Going by video clips that surfaced on social media after the singer’s death, it is believed that the two constantly bullied Mohbad because he decided to leave Marlian Records.

Following Mohbad’s death, videos proving his harassment and maltreatment in the hands of his former record label surfaced on the internet. In one particular damning video made by the singer himself in the past, he said Nigerians should hold his former boss, Naira Marley, responsible if he ever died.

Mohad also wrote a petition to the Nigerian police requesting protection for himself and his properties from Marlian Music, Sammy Larry and Marley himself.

Meanwhile, in a bid to investigate Mohbad’s death, the police exhumed his body on Thursday, and hours thereafter, it announced that the autopsy carried out on the later singer’s body has been concluded.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the public relations officer of the Lagos State Police Command, has announced that Mohbad’s body has successfully been exhumed.

This was announced via his official Twitter account today September 21, 2023. He also added that the corpse is set to be autopsied to determine the cause of his death.

The news has since been welcomed with joy as the general public sees it as a step closer to attaining justice for Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka Mohbad.

Protest and demand for justice for the death of the late Nigerian singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, known as Mohbad has been carried out by fans of the artiste on Thursday, after they stormed Lekki Phase 1 Gate of Lagos State.

The late singer and former signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley died at the age of 27 last Tuesday and has since been buried.

The tribute concert for the singer commenced 8 pm at Muri Okunola Park, while the protest, organised by the management of the late singer commenced at 5 pm.

The crowd who were dressed in white T-shirts, expressed their feelings during the tribute concert: they danced to the songs of the late artiste as a sign of their last respect to the late singer.

Nigerian musicians, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido, Falz and Zlatan Ibile have joined the candlelight procession in honour of late Afrobeats star Mohbad in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.

Many fans of the late Afrobeat singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, who trooped out on Thursday, September 21, 2023, for the candlelight procession in memory of the singer were allegedly dispersed with tear gas.

Prior to the protest and tribute concert in honour of the deceased, there was a request from the Lagos State government, that the planned protest by some Nollywood actors and fans of the late former Marlian signee and musical artist, Mohbad, be cancelled.

Before the protest and tribute concert occurred in Lagos, fans of the late artiste in other states of the country had carried out their own protest in their various communities.

Earlier, Delta youths had converged at Effurun Road, carrying placards as they demanded justice for the late singer.

The peaceful protests took place in Ikorodu, Lagos State; Abeokuta, Ogun State and Warri, Delta State.

In Abeokuta, the protesters wore black and carried placards with inscriptions like #JusticeforMohbad and #WhoOffLight, among others.

In Ikorodu, the protesters marched in their numbers, chanting ‘We no go gree’

Meanwhile, there was an appreciation message which was made public by the management of the late artiste, while announcing the protest on Monday night via the official X handle of the deceased, “appreciate the outpouring of love from fans across the world to the ones who’ve organised events in their communities as a way to honour and pay respect to our shining light we say thank you. Join us for Mohbad’s candlelight procession and tribute concert.”

Do2dtun, who anchored the tribute concert held in honour of Mohbad at Muri Okunola park said the event was a candlelight procession, not a protest.

But after the procession ended, sympathisers who proceeded to the Lekki tollgate were dispersed with teargas around 11 pm.

In a video shared on Twitter, a popular skit maker, Oluwadolaz, claimed, “We have been dispersed with teargas…”

It is curious however why the sympathisers converged at the Lekki tollgate, the site of the October 20, 2020, #EndSARS, where soldiers shut peaceful protesters.

Wondering why the sympathisers moved to the #EndSARS site, Do2dtun, who anchored the tribute concert held in honour of Mohbad at Muri Okunola park said the event was a candlelight procession, not a protest.

“Honesty ourNigerians do not listen. WE DO THE MOST. This procession ended at Muri Okunola Park over 3 hours ago. We ended and all left. Some still went to converge at the Lekki toll gate. It is not a protest. It is a CANDLELIGHT PROCESSION,” he said.

Commenting on the matter, the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi resisted the urge to describe the procession as a protest.

“I am not against candlelight procession, I don’t want to call it a protest, I call it a procession, even police can do a procession to honour somebody. It is to honour the dead and pray for his soul,” he said.