By Faith Ogundoyin

A couple of days after the passing of 27-year-old Afrobeats singer, Mohbad, there appears to be unrelenting grief and now the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has revealed its intention to investigate mysteries surrounding the death.

This was captured in a statement shared via the force’s X handle (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, 14 September. In the statement titled “Mohbad’s Demise: We Will Carry Out Diligent Investigation”, signed by the public relations officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police “is committed to a comprehensive investigation into this matter”.

Mohbad’s death was a rude shock to fans and fellow artists as nobody expected it.

Mohbad's Demise: We Will Carry Out Diligent Investigation – FPRO

We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of late Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, known as Mohbad, who tragically passed away recently. We understand the concerns surrounding his untimely… pic.twitter.com/BKIBIrRaW6

— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) September 14, 2023

The late musician had performed at a show in the Ikorodu district of Lagos State hale and hearty two days before his demise. He was signed in 2019 to the label Marlians Records World owned by Azeez Fashola, known professionally as Naira Marley, but many problems found him there. This prompted leaving the label in 2022 over royalties concerns, which was when his issues intensified.

After he left the label, he made music on his own and his lyrics passed across so many things he was going through. He faced different forms of threats to his life and has been reportedly abused physically by Naira Marley’s aides on several occasions.

An Instagram live post prior to his demise showed him at a venue where folks believed to be connected with Naira Marley physically assaulted him. This invited quotes like: “If I die today, hold Naira Marley and Marlians record responsible — na dem kill me.”

Another video also surfaced online showing Mohbad and Zlatan shooting a music video. In the clip, Sam Larry, reportedly Naira Marley’s friend and other armed men attempted to assault him. Although their plan failed, they wreaked havoc, which saw the destruction of equipment worth over ₦5 million.

Following this event, the now deceased Mohbad wrote a petition against Sam Larry and other people involved in the occasioning harm against him but this failed in terms of impact and he is now dead.

Even if it seemed like the world was against Mohbad, before his death he still had few friends that cared. Such as two renowned musicians, Zlatan and Bella Shmurda, who tried their best to help.

Mohbad’s death remains a mystery although there are talks about an ear infection he was treating shortly before he kicked the bucket. Lots of concerned fans have shared various views concerning what or who might be responsible for this tragic loss of life. At this point, only the Nigerian Police Force can put the pieces together as shown in the press release that came out yesterday.

The police have urged the public to be rest assured that updates will be given as the investigation progresses.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.