WATCH THE VIDEO HERE A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has granted ex parte leave to Joseph Aloba, father of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, to challenge the legal advice issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) which exonerated four suspects in connection with his son’s death. Justice Taiwo Olatokun, ruling on Monday, granted Aloba permission to file for judicial review and also to serve court processes on the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), who was joined in the suit alongside the DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins. The suit, marked ID/6197MJR/2025, seeks to nullify both the legal advice and a February 26 ruling by Magistrate Ejiro Kubenje of the Yaba Magistrate Court which discharged and acquitted singer Abdulazeez Fashola (alias Naira Marley), Samson Balogun Eletu (alias Sam Larry), Owodunni Ibrahim (Primeboy), and Pere Babatunde. The application was filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, on behalf of Aloba and the Aloba family. Aloba’s legal team argued the suit on three principal grounds: In an 18-paragraph affidavit attached to the suit, Aloba stated that Mohbad’s death on September 11, 2023, was unnatural and suspicious. His petition prompted a Coroner’s inquest under suit No: COR/IKD/10/2023, which began on September 29, 2023, and remains unresolved. Aloba alleged that while the Coroner’s inquest was still ongoing, the DPP issued legal advice—undated and allegedly lacking transparency—which led Magistrate Kubenje to discharge the suspects. He contends that this move undermined the authority of the Coroner’s court and compromised the integrity of the ongoing investigation. He also accused the police and the DPP’s office of failing to properly inform the Coroner’s court about their findings and decisions, arguing that such actions interfere with due process. According to Aloba, the discharged suspects are key figures mentioned in the Coroner’s inquest and were yet to testify. By exonerating them without allowing the Coroner to finish its work, the state authorities, he argued, have obstructed justice. He is now asking the court to nullify the legal advice and the magistrate’s ruling, declare them as issued without jurisdiction, and reinstate the suspects to face proper legal and investigative scrutiny. The court has fixed June 17 for the hearing of the motion on notice.
Court Grants Mohbad’s Father Leave To Challenge DPP’s Exoneration Of Naira Marley, Others
