The management of National Medical Services (NMS) Laboratories in Pennsylvania, USA, has refuted claims by the Lagos State Government that a toxicology test to determine the cause of death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, was conducted at its facility.
This denial came after inquiries by our correspondent, who embarked on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the cause of Mohbad’s death. Concerns had been raised following a protest by some members of the public against a pathologist’s claim in a Coroner’s Court on May 15 that an autopsy could not determine the cause of death due to the decomposition of the body.
Previously, the counsel for the state government, O. Akinde, had told the Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu, Lagos, in November 2023, that a toxicology test was performed in the United States. This claim was further supported by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, during a live telephone call on the Abuja-based online program, Brekete Family, in February 2024. Omotoso asserted that the test was conducted at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania.
“The matter is being handled by the state DNA and Forensic Centre, which has affiliate centers in the US, including the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania,” Omotoso said during the live program.
Despite these assertions, an investigation by our correspondent involved verifying the locations of NMS Labs in Pennsylvania and contacting the facility. An email inquiry was sent to NMS Labs to confirm the claim made by Lagos State officials.
In response, Esther Dede, Client Services Associate at NMS Labs’ Forensics Division, refuted the state’s claim. “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient,” Dede stated.
Dede also noted the need for authorization from the submitting agency to comply with HIPAA privacy regulations.
When contacted, Commissioner Omotoso said, “This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there. I will have to check again because that was what I was told.”
Mohbad died at the age of 27 on September 12, 2023, sparking controversies and social media debates about the circumstances of his death. He had left Marlian Music, owned by Naira Marley, in February 2022. Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team on September 18, 2023, to probe the incident. The case also led to the arrests of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry, among others. Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
