Mohbad: US Lab Denies Conducting Toxicology Test on Deceased Artiste

The National Medical Services (NMS) Laboratories in Pennsylvania has denied conducting a toxicology test to determine the cause of death for Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad. This refutation counters claims made by the Lagos State Government regarding the handling of the investigation into the singer’s death.

In response to inquiries made by PUNCH Metro, Esther Dede, Client Services Associate in the Forensics Division at NMS Labs, they were stated unequivocally that their facility did not conduct any tests for Mohbad.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient,” Dede confirmed.

However, she added that compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations requires authorisation from the submitting agency to disclose any information.

The confusion originated from a statement by Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, who asserted in February 2024 during a live telephone call on the Brekete Family program that the toxicology test was being conducted at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania.

This claim was reiterated during a session of the Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos, where the state government’s counsel, O. Akinde, stated that a toxicology test was performed in the United States as part of the autopsy to ascertain the cause of Mohbad’s death.

Responding to the latest development, Commissioner Omotoso explained that the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre provided the information about NMS Labs conducting the test.

He suggested there might have been a misunderstanding or error in communication.

This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there. We are dealing with the officials of the centre; they have three other labs that they have affiliations with. If they have an emergency, they can go to any of the three labs. I asked which particular one they went to, and they answered it was that one. That means I will have to go and check again because that was what I was told.

The cause of Mohbad’s death has been a subject of controversy since his passing on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27.

As a former signee of Marlian Music, owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad’s departure from the label in February 2022 had already garnered significant attention. His untimely death further intensified public scrutiny and calls for a thorough investigation.

In response to the public outcry and ensuing controversies, the Lagos State Police Command inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team on September 18, 2023, to probe the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.

Despite the various claims and counterclaims, the definitive cause of Mohbad’s death remains unresolved, which has left his fans, family and the public worried.

Some of the reactions from X(formerly Twitter) capture the worries and the weight at which the public continues to be left in disappointment and concerns over the investigation to ascertain the cause of the artiste’s untimely death.

Just now:
The American laboratory has confirmed they NEVER did any toxicology on Mohbad. We were all just wasting our time waiting for a test result that never existed.

Just like the pathologist said few weeks ago that there’s no postmortem report.

I hate to say this:
But it…

— #OurFavOnlineDoc 🩺 🇬🇧 (@OurFavOnlineDoc) May 30, 2024

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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