Uchendu Alexis
Popular Nigerian musician Azeez Fashola, known as Naira Marley, has experienced a significant drop in his Instagram followers, losing around 500,000 within a week. This decline comes in the wake of allegations connecting him and his associate, Sammy Larry, to the tragic death of his former signee, Mohbad.
The singer’s Instagram following began to dwindle following accusations that he and his associate were involved in emotional and physical mistreatment of the late singer after his departure from the Marlians record label. When Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, Naira Marley had approximately 7.5 million loyal Instagram followers. However, as more reports linking him to the demise of Mohbad emerged, his followers dwindled, and he currently stands at 6.9 million followers on the platform.
The widespread decision to boycott Naira Marley, his music, and his record label stemmed from the outcry of grieving fans of Mohbad. These fans have expressed their displeasure toward Marley in the comment sections of his posts and have been vocal in their demand for justice for the late singer, both on social media and through peaceful protests.
In response to the allegations, Naira Marley released a statement through his label, emphasizing his love for Mohbad like a brother and denying any harm towards him. He also joined the call for justice for his former signee and changed his Instagram profile picture to that of Mohbad. However, his statement failed to sway many, who continued to demand his arrest and interrogation, as well as that of Sammy Larry.
The Nigerian police force has officially initiated an investigation into Mohbad’s untimely death, and the chief coroner has been contacted to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause.
