Naira Marley Testifies in Coroner’s Inquest as Mohbad’s Death Sparks Legal Battle

The air in the courtroom was thick with tension as music artist Naira Marley appeared—virtually—before Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi at the Ikorodu Magistrate Court. The ongoing Coroner’s inquest into the tragic passing of rising star Ilerioluwa Aloba, widely known as Mohbad, had taken another dramatic turn, and all eyes were on Marley, the embattled Marlian Records boss.

Speaking from a remote location, Marley detailed his professional relationship with Mohbad, revealing that the late artist had been signed under Marlian Records with a contract to produce four albums. However, those albums never materialized, he claimed, due to ongoing disputes between Mohbad and his manager, Opere Babatunde.

Dismissing swirling accusations that he had threatened or harassed his former signee, Marley pointed to a police report that allegedly cleared him of any wrongdoing. “These claims exist only in people’s imaginations,” he stated, his voice unwavering.

Yet, a chilling viral video loomed over his testimony—one in which Mohbad himself had once declared that should anything happen to him, Naira Marley and his crew should be held responsible. When confronted with this damning clip, Marley countered with an unexpected claim: Mohbad had later apologized, attributing his words to the influence of drugs.

“There were no disputes between us,” Marley insisted. “I had not seen him for over a year before his passing, and I was not even in the country when he died.”

But Mohbad’s lawyer, Oluwasanmi Falade, wasn’t buying it. He stood firm, refuting Marley’s assertions and revealing a long-standing battle over unpaid royalties. “At Mohbad’s insistence, I wrote several letters to Marlian Records regarding the payment of royalties, but there was never any response,” Falade testified, adding that the matter had escalated into a legal dispute before the Federal High Court.

Falade also recounted a violent incident at Lekki Beach, allegedly involving music promoter Sam Larry, in which Mohbad had been attacked. He stated that he had personally urged Mohbad to report the assault, and though attempts to hold Sam Larry accountable initially failed, police at Force Headquarters had made efforts to arrest him.

With the weight of these revelations hanging over the proceedings, Magistrate Shotobi issued a summons for Sam Larry to appear at the next hearing on April 11. Additionally, witness summons were sent to Mohbad’s driver, and the Coroner demanded that the pathologist who conducted the independent autopsy submit his findings to both the court and the Chief Coroner.

Outside the courtroom, the legal battle continued. Speaking to journalists, Wahab Shittu (SAN), counsel to Mohbad’s family, acknowledged that no direct evidence had yet surfaced linking Naira Marley to Mohbad’s death. However, he stressed the importance of uncovering “the sequence of events and the circumstances leading to his death.”

In a move that could further shape the case, Shittu requested that doctors from the two hospitals where Mohbad was treated on the day of his passing be summoned to provide testimony about his final hours. Witness summons are expected to be issued in the coming days.

As the case unfolds, the search for the truth behind Mohbad’s untimely demise continues, and with each testimony, the mystery deepens. Will justice be served? The world watches and waits.