Three months after a coroner’s inquest delivered damning findings into the death of popular Nigerian singer Mohbad, his father has formally demanded that the Lagos State government prosecute those indicted in the case, including the artist’s widow and a nurse whose actions were deemed “unlawful and professionally negligent.”
Joseph Aloba, father of the late Ilerioluwa Aloba — known professionally as Mohbad — has taken his fight for justice to the state’s highest legal authority, petitioning Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Lawal Pedro, SAN, through his own legal counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN.
The petition, which arrives more than a year after the controversial circumstances surrounding the 27-year-old singer’s death shocked Nigeria’s entertainment industry, specifically calls for the prosecution of Omowunmi Aloba, Mohbad’s wife, alongside auxiliary nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe and others present during the fateful events of September 2023.
In July 2025, Magistrate Taofikat Shotobi, presiding over the coroner’s inquest, delivered unequivocal findings that laid blame at multiple doorsteps. The magistrate determined that Ogedengbe’s administration of an injection to Mohbad without a doctor’s prescription constituted both unlawful conduct and professional negligence — grounds for criminal prosecution for medical misadventure.
Perhaps most controversially, Magistrate Shotobi also held Mohbad’s widow accountable, ruling that her decision to treat the ailing singer at home rather than seeking immediate hospital care contributed to the tragic outcome.
The coroner’s recommendations were clear: criminal charges should be filed against Ogedengbe and others who either facilitated the nurse’s involvement or failed to ensure the singer received proper medical attention at a recognized facility.
Yet despite these unambiguous judicial findings, the Lagos State government has taken no prosecutorial action in the more than two months since the verdict was handed down on July 11, 2025.
In his petition, Shittu expressed his client’s mounting frustration with the apparent prosecutorial inertia. “Our client, as a bereaved father who seeks justice, is deeply troubled by the fact that, despite the clear indictments contained in the Coroner’s Verdict, no prosecutorial steps have been taken against the mentioned individuals since the verdict was delivered,” the senior advocate wrote.
The letter gives the Attorney-General’s office a 14-day deadline to file charges against the implicated parties, citing both the sensitivity of the case and the intense public scrutiny it has attracted since Mohbad’s sudden death.
In a strategic move that underscores the family’s determination, Shittu has requested an alternative remedy should the state decline to act: a fiat granting the family the right to pursue private prosecution on behalf of the state, as provided under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State.
Mohbad’s death sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s vibrant Afrobeats scene and sparked widespread calls for accountability. The young artist, whose promising career was on an upward trajectory, died under circumstances that immediately raised questions and prompted demands for a thorough investigation.
The coroner’s inquest revealed troubling details about the hours leading to his death, including the involvement of an auxiliary nurse administering injections without proper medical authorization and allegations that proper emergency medical care was not sought in time.
As the Lagos State government remains silent on its next steps, the Aloba family’s legal challenge puts renewed pressure on authorities to act on the coroner’s findings — or explain why justice for one of Nigeria’s rising stars continues to be delayed.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Mohbad’s father is demanding justice three months after a coroner ruled that the singer’s wife and an unqualified nurse were responsible for his death. Despite clear findings in July 2025 recommending criminal prosecution, Lagos State has filed no charges. The bereaved father has given authorities 14 days to act or he’ll seek permission to prosecute the case himself.
A coroner blamed Mohbad’s wife for treating him at home instead of taking him to the hospital, and a nurse for giving unauthorized injections—yet no one has been charged.
