The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has fixed July 2, 2025, to deliver judgment on an application filed by Mr. Joseph Aloba, father of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, seeking to overturn the legal advice that cleared music promoter Sam Larry and artist Naira Marley of any involvement in his son’s death.
Presiding Judge, Justice Taiwo Olatokun, set the date after hearing arguments from Mr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), counsel to Mr. Aloba, and Ms. Joke Amachree, representing the Lagos State Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who are listed as respondents.
Mr. Aloba is contesting the DPP’s decision on the grounds of denial of fair hearing and alleged interference with the ongoing Coroner’s Inquest probing the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death.
Arguing before the court, Shittu maintained that the DPP’s decision to discharge the suspects was premature and undermined the integrity of the Coroner’s Inquest, which is yet to reach a conclusion. He stressed that individuals named and implicated during the inquest were let go without waiting for its final findings.
However, in a counter affidavit filed on June 24, Ayinde Ibrahim, a legal officer from the DPP’s office, defended the decision, stating that the suspects were not acquitted but merely discharged based on the evidence available at the time the case file was reviewed by the police and forwarded to the DPP.
Ibrahim further explained that the DPP’s office was represented at the coroner’s hearings and acted in accordance with standard legal procedures. He emphasized that the DPP’s decision was based solely on the content of the police case file, to which neither the Coroner nor Mr. Aloba had access.
“The suspects were not acquitted but only discharged,” Ibrahim stated, adding that the Coroner has not issued any verdict implicating the suspects. He said the DPP was under no obligation to halt its statutory duty of reviewing the case file while the inquest was ongoing.
Addressing claims by Mr. Aloba that due process was not followed, Ibrahim clarified that the Police were responsible for presenting the suspects for remand during their investigation, and that the DPP’s advice was submitted to the appropriate magistrate upon completion.
He explained that the role of the Coroner is to establish the identity of the deceased, the time, place, and cause of death, while the DPP’s mandate is to determine if any criminal offense can be established from the police investigation.
Ibrahim also pointed out that neither the Coroner nor the applicant conducted any private investigation or presented new evidence to counter the DPP’s findings.
“The Applicant has not provided any credible, verifiable evidence to contradict the DPP’s legal advice,” Ibrahim said, insisting that the application was based on speculation and conjecture.
He concluded by urging the court to dismiss Mr. Aloba’s application in the interest of justice, reaffirming that no facts linked Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Prime Boy, or Opere Babatunde to Mohbad’s death.
The court will rule on the matter on July 2.
