WANTED: Justice For Mohbad

No death of any celebrity, especially in Nigeria, has attracted the kind of widespread sympathy and condemnation as the one involving the artiste known as Mohbad (real names, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba) in recent times.

The world woke up to the news of the sudden demise of the hugely talented Nigerian singer on September 12, 2023 in very controversial circumstances, fuelling intense speculations that he may have been murdered.

The outpourings of grief by many who loved the late star's music had matched the torrents of requests seeking justice as aggrieved fans who embarked on protests in many states of the country pressed home their point.

The spontaneous reactions to the 27-year old's death was so overwhelming that it even ignited responses from government, his fellow celebrities and prominent Nigerians who all spoke with one voice, demanding justice for the departed soul.

The Nigeria Police has since swung into action in an attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding his death, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that justice is served.

The Police had begun it's investigations by first exhuming Mohbad's corpse a few days after he was buried for an autopsy -- the findings of which they said would help them determine the cause of death -- before going on to arrest some of the key suspects fingered in his alleged killing.

There had been strong speculations that Naira Marley -- a fellow artiste and his former record label owner -- could have been behind his death, especially as videos of him manhandling the late star over his decision to quit his record label surfaced on several social media platforms.

The Police had also pulled in, for questioning, Sam Larry, another close associate who purportedly had a beef with Mohbad over claims of unpaid debts.

Testimonies have also been taken from the late star's wife, the nurse who treated him at home days before he passed, a few other close pals, and his parents. 

Now, the public waits with bated breath for the outcome, and are hoping that the police findings which will form the basis of a court proceedings would come to light in due course.

I do not doubt the competence of the police especially in the light of their current successes in speeding up cases of such high profile nature. The recent case of the dastardly murder of Mrs Bolanle Raheem, a Lagos-based lawyer by a trigger-happy cop, Drambi Vandi, last Christmas readily comes to mind.

That the officer who snuffed the life out of the promising lawyer on December 25th got a death sentence in a recent landmark judgement delivered by Justice Ibironke Harrison testified to the importance the police attaches to the speedy resolution of such cases.

I don't see the case of Mohbad treated differently.