The legal representative of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad’s widow, Wunmi, has faulted the Aloba family’s directive asking her to stop using the surname “Aloba,” describing the move as unlawful and misleading.

The lawyer, Kabir Akingbolu, who spoke with Punch on Wednesday, said the family’s fresh statement was “another attempt to deceive the public,” insisting that Wunmi remains legally entitled to use her late husband’s name.

“Nobody can stop her from bearing Aloba. That is the name given to her by her husband, and under the law, she has every right to keep it,” he said.

Quoting legal precedence, he added, “The Supreme Court, in Ojukwu vs Ojukwu, held that no one has a monopoly over a surname. There are thousands of Alobas in the world.”

Akingbolu accused the Aloba family of repeatedly frustrating the DNA test process despite demanding it in the first place.

He alleged that after obtaining a court order for the test, the family failed to show up and instead switched lawyers several times.

“They were the ones who went to court to demand a DNA test. The court granted the order, but they refused to show up. We wrote four different letters to them, and they never came,” he said.

According to him, the family later returned, requesting that the test be done outside Nigeria.

He said, “The court again granted the order, yet they disappeared. Now, for the third time, they’ve filed another application, saying they want it done in a particular hospital abroad. We will not allow that because you cannot choose a hospital for the court.”

Declaring his client’s readiness, he said, “We are ready for the DNA any time, any day. The child is not a bastard, and my client has nothing to fear; she is a decent woman.”

Rising Tension Over Paternity, Estate Control

The dispute between Mohbad’s family and his widow deepened on Tuesday when the Aloba family released a statement insisting the DNA test must be concluded before Wunmi can be recognised in matters relating to the late singer’s estate.

They also directed her to stop using the surname “Aloba” pending the outcome of the test, a directive Akingbolu has now dismissed as “sentimental, baseless, and without legal backing.”

He stressed that his client would continue to honour her late husband’s memory and identity.

Mohbad died on September 12, 2023, at age 27, sparking nationwide outrage and calls for justice.