A toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of the death of the late Nigerian singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba aka Mohbad, has been concluded.
Sources reported that the test was being conducted in the United States. State counsel, Oluwaseun Akinde, who confirmed this to the coroner’s court sitting in the Ikorodu area of the state in November 2023 said the autopsy into the external body of the deceased was completed while the toxicology test had to do with the internal body.
However, an official of the Lagos State Government who pleaded anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter told news correspondent on Thursday that the test result had been sent back to Nigeria. He added that the copy had been transmitted to the police.
“The toxicology test is ready and given to the police. We projected 10 weeks from the outset but it came in before then. The laboratory that would have done the job was burnt down during #EndSARS protest.
“So the sample has to be taken abroad and now that it has been brought back, it is for the police to proceed with their investigation and charge people who needed to be charged to court and call on the government to prosecute, but as it is, I think the Lagos State government has done what it should do, the ball is now in their court,” the official disclosed.
A source in the Lagos State Police Command who also craved anonymity as he was not permitted to speak to the press confirmed the receipt of the result.
The source said, “The toxicology report is with us. It arrived on Monday but it is medical jargon for us. We don’t understand what it is. Even you will never understand what it is. So, it has been sent to the pathologists who carried out the autopsy to interpret it in layman’s terms. Once the interpretation is out, it will be announced through the office of the PPRO.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached as calls made to his phone were not answered. A text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time the report was filed.
The Director of Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, Richard Somiari, on March 20 said that the toxicology result would be ready in the next three to four weeks.
Mr Somiari, while testifying during a coroner’s inquest into the death of the singer said, “We expected to get the first set of autopsy results in three to four weeks and re-confirm to authenticate the cause of the death.
“We searched for multiple possibilities, to check if poison was involved in the death of Mohbad since no actual cause was mentioned.”
The forensic expert assured the public of adequate security and monitoring of samples for the autopsy.
“We have a place where items are stored for safety and security of results. There is a procedure for monitoring samples moved abroad,” he said.
Mohbad died at the age of 27, on September 12, 2023, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.
Being a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label in February 2022. The Lagos State Police Command had on September 18, 2023, inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the singer’s death.
His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry, amongst others.
The singer’s body was on September 21, 2023, exhumed for autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.
