The shocking news of the death of up-and-coming artist, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mobhad, shook the nation like a hurricane. For many, including yours sincerely, I had never heard that name nor read any material where his name was mentioned prior to his death. I am also not sure I ever listened to any of his songs until the news of his demise took over the airwaves like wildfire in Harmattan.
His sad death has brought about global attention to Nigeria. Also, the rumoured circumstances around his death have left tongues wagging and in the process, Marlian Music record owner, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, has suffered a great backlash from across the world.
And since brand and scandal are like parallel lines; they never meet, Naira Marley’s music videos have been removed from the playlists of MTV Base and Soundcity. His music has been banned by radio stations like Splash FM, Fresh FM, Island FM, Okin FM, Divine FM, Agidigbo FM, etc. He has also lost over 500,000, and is still counting, Instagram followers.
From all that has been alleged, what cannot be disputed is the fact that the late Mohbad had a strained relationship with his former promoter, Naira Marley, as a result of which it was alleged that he was attacked during a film shoot by Sam Larry, an ally of Marley.
The 27-year-old late singer was also reported to have written a petition letter to the police following the alleged assault.
The letter dated June 2, 2023, which was two days after the alleged assault, detailed that about 15 men had come to the location of his music shoot carrying guns and machetes and disrupting the production of his music video.
In the letter, Mohbad, it was reported, urged the police to bring the perpetrators to book. Unfortunately, nothing was done by the police until the sad death of the young man.
Mrs. Promise Aloba, the mother of Mohbad, also accused Naira Marley of complicity, just as she called on the government to fish out those whom she alleged have cases to answer.
She made the call when Sen. Elisha Abbo, Chairman, House Committee on Entertainment Economy, and Nollywood actresses, Tonto Dikeh and Iyabo Ojo, paid the family a condolence visit in Lagos.
She said that her late son had always complained about the severe threat to his life by Naira Marley and some other individuals. In tears, Aloba said, “I know my son; he told me that Naira Marley usually threatened him. Please Nigerians help me to look for him; please have mercy on me; that is all you can do for me.”
Meanwhile, Naira Marley has declared his innocence, just as he also expressed his readiness to assist the police in unravelling the circumstances surrounding the death of his former signee.
True, there may have been a rift between Naira Marley and the late Mohbad, but it might not be enough to accuse him of having killed him. But the onus is on the police to, for once, go to the root of this matter to help us unravel the circumstances leading to his unfortunate death.
Again, if it’s true that he only resorted to self-medication rather than going to the hospital, his death may have been avoided. Because reports have it that he was treated at home and brought to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to the management of Perez Medcare Hospital, where he was taken to, the singer was brought in dead to their facility. In the statement posted on its Instagram page, the hospital affirmed that the singer didn’t die in their facility as against rumours being peddled around.
It is unfortunate that the life of the promising young man, who sadly only gained global recognition and fame after his death was cut short at his prime, but the truth is that there are lessons for parents, our young boys and girls as well as the police and the government to learn from this unfortunate incident.
Mohbad may have been fortunate to become successful in his chosen profession, at least, but there are millions of Mohbad who are languishing and loitering around as a result of their involvement in anti-social activities. Those street songs and lyrics targeted at young audiences remain a problem for the nation to take a critical look into. Our children are taking to alcohol and illicit drugs at an alarming proportion.
Some few years ago, I was taken aback when I heard about the colony of Naira Marley fans and their irresponsible lifestyles. We are told that illicit drugs are freely used. We are told their members are not encouraged to go to school etc.
Nothing was done to impress upon Marley to stop leading our children astray. Drugs and other banned substances are ravaging our youths and very little or nothing is done to check this dangerous trend.
Also, on the part of parenthood, perhaps the broken home in which Mohbad and his siblings found themselves may also have affected him. A mother who left her children and exposed them to the vicissitudes of an uncaring and drug-prone environment cannot today be completely exonerated from blame. I am not unmindful of the fact that not all marriages must last until death do them part, but it’s also a fact that today divorce is glamourised to appear fashionable. If a couple finds it extremely difficult to bring up a child, imagine what would be the fate of a single parent.
Again, one can argue that Mohbad made a success of his life, but there are millions of our youths today who have been rendered invalid through the abuse of drugs and other substances. Being a star must come with some responsibilities. If a drug is declared illegal anybody caught with it must be prosecuted irrespective of status.
Finally, the police and Lagos State government should for once investigate this matter and make their findings public. If anyone is found complicit, let the law take its course. Not only will it deter others but it will also clear the innocent of the shame that this allegation may have attracted to them. If indeed he was attacked, his attackers must be prosecuted. We are not living in a jungle.
How is it that the police failed to investigate his petition? Is it not a shame that justice is always denied to the weak and the poor in Nigeria? Could his death have been avoided if the police had intervened? There are too many mysterious deaths and murders that remain unresolved.
Imagine that the American police are to prosecute an alleged suspect over the murder of Tupac, 29 years after his death. Can a thing like that ever happen in my beloved country? After the hue and cry that have greeted Mohbad’s unfortunate and cheap death, what next? Will life return to normal until there is another unfortunate incident and we raise hell, and blow hot air again?
