There was wailing, and uproar amid pent-up emotions when Nigeria and the rest of the world woke up to the news of the sudden demise of rising Nigerian Afrobeats act, MohBad who was 27 at the time of his passing.
The rapper and singer, born Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, had won love on the streets with his hardcore rap themed on the everyday struggles of people with the hopes of ‘securing the bag’ by trusting the process. His music hit so close to home and he immediately garnered some street credibility catapulting him into a world of stardom.
However, on September 12, 2023, the rapper nicknamed “Imole” meaning “light” in native Nigerian language Yoruba, had all the brightness associated with his shortlived but illustrious music journey dimmed by the icy hands of death.
As soon as the news of the Beast & Peace hitmaker’s death started crawling into the streets, his ardent followers were left in disbelief and the sequence of the events to follow gave the departed star more light than when he was living.
It did not take 24 hours for the cult followers of the Feel Good songmaker (2021) to be up in arms and charging out in anger with suspicions of foul play owing to the murky details surrounding the musician’s passing.
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Here’s what we know so far:
Cause of death
Preliminary reports indicated that the rapper passed following an ear infection but fine details emerged later stating that the cause of the three-time Headies Awards nominee remained unknown.
Quick burial
Again, there was uproar when the musician was buried just a day after his sudden passing. Father of the Nigerian star indicated that the burial was expedited in line with Yoruba culture.
Agitations yield results as the singer’s body gets exhumed
There was widespread anger with many calling for a probe into the Afrobeats star’s death which led to his mortal remains being exhumed for an autopsy to be carried out to determine the actual cause of death.
Celebrities add their voices
Celebrities of Nigerian descent and other nationalities poured out their hearts in solidarity with some even joining protest marches to demand justice for the late Kponmo crooner. A candle-lit procession was held to honor MohBad as well as press home demands to bring finality to the matter.
Date for Autopsy report
Following MohBad’s body being exhumed for examination, the coroner’s office indicated that the autopsy report to determine the cause of the Nigerian artiste’s death would be made public on October 13, 2023.
Naira Marley Speaks
MohBad, a former signee of Marlian Music, parted ways with the record label after indicating that CEO Naira Marley treated him unfairly. The accusations against Marley led many to point accusing fingers at him for driving Imole to the very edge. The record label boss however distanced himself from the accusations and claimed he had no hand in MohBad’s associated problems and his untimely demise.
Sam Larry arrested
Following the death of the Blessed album maker, Sam Larry, known in real life as Balogun Olamilekan Eletu, was arrested by Nigerian police in connection with the case. The associate of Naira Marley was picked up to assist with investigations after he was alleged to have assaulted the fallen Afrobeats star.
Afrobeats+ would update readers on any new developments in the case related to the unfortunate passing of MohBad.