Admin I Tuesday, Oct.03, 2023
IKORODU, Lagos, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has opted to hold the coroner inquest on circumstances surrounding the death of IlereiOluwa Oladimeji Aloba alias Mohbad in secret despite that fact that Mohbad was a full grown man, who died at the age of 27.
The coroner inquest is at the behest of human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana and it is coming few days after the Lagos State Police Command exhumed Mohbad’s corpse and carried out an autopsy on the deceased. The command is yet to release the result of the autopsy to members of the public who have been eagerly awaiting for it.
Although the initial sitting held behind closed doors in Ikorodu last Friday, major proceedings is due to commence 10 days from now, Friday October 13, 2023.
It is expected to follow the same routine of secrecy, just like the preliminary sitting which held last Friday with journalists locked out of the Candide Johnson courthouse, Ikorodu in a proceeding of public interest.
Court officials attributed the decision to the Chief Registrar, Tajideed Elias.
It was also gathered that this move was taken as a crowd control measure. After the hearing, the deceased’s family counsel, Funmi Falana, told journalists that the magistrate, Adetayo Shotobi discussed the modalities of the inquest with all counsel, including the format that witnesses will take to testify. She added that the legal team will present their witnesses at the next hearing fixed for October 13.
“The essence of the coroner is to inquire as to the cause of death. It is an inquisitorial sitting, so what we had today was to decide on the modalities as to how and when and regarding the witnesses that will testify.”
Other interested parties that attended the sitting include the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and a record label, TNKAY MUSIC.
The inquest is in pursuant to the extant provisions of sections 14&15 of the coroner’s system law of Lagos State, cap C15, laws of Lagos State 2015.
This is in response to a letter written by the chambers of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana to the office of the Chief Coroner over the controversial death which was said to have occurred in the Ikorodu area of the state.
Mohbad died on Tuesday, September 12 in a manner that led to great outcry and several protests, amidst calls by many for a thorough investigation into the matter.
Before his death, he had made a series of accusations of being bullied and harassed by his former manager, Naira Marley who owns the record label Marlian Music.
He was buried the next day. A few days later, Police authorities exhumed the singer’s body from his graveside in Ikorodu.
