Omowunmi, the widow of the late artist and rapper Ilerioluwa Aloba nicknamed Mohbad, has declared her willingness to perform a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to verify the paternity of their only son, Liam.
It was alleged that the deceased singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, filed a lawsuit to obtain a DNA test for his grandson.
In the application filed by the legal team to Joseph, the family requested an order to serve Wunmi by posting all originating and other processes in the matter at the respondent’s last known address.
The family’s legal team, led by Emmanuel Oroko, maintained that attempts to serve Wunmi failed.
The Magistrates Court, sitting on July 9, 2024, in the Ikorodu region of Lagos State, authorized both parties to investigate alternate dispute resolution, which resulted in closed-door negotiations that also failed to produce an agreement.
In a statement released on Sunday, Monisola Odumosu, a member of the family’s legal team, indicated that Wunmi had agreed to do the DNA test.
Odumosu continued, “This was followed by the settlement terms drafted by both parties.”
According to Odumosu’s statement, “Emmanuel Oroko informed the court that both parties had settled outside the court and are ready to move the terms of the settlement that have already been filed and served on Wunmi Aloba’s lawyers.” In response, Kabir Akingbolu, Esq. (representing Adams Atata Esq. and M.K.O Orire Esq.) concurred, and the court adopted the settlement terms as its ruling.
According to Odumosu, Mohbad’s widow agreed in the settlement that the DNA test will be performed in a recognized and certified government or private medical facility within Lagos State, or another suitable hospital outside the state.
The lawyer also stated that Mohbad’s father had agreed to cover the costs of the testing procedures and other connected expenditures.
“In the terms filed before the court, the respondent, Wunmi Aloba, consented to submit herself and her son, (Master Liam Aloba), for the conduct of a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) at Two (2) recognised and accredited government or private medical facilities within Lagos State or other agreeable hospital outside Lagos State. In turn, the applicant, Mr. Joseph Aloba, agreed to bear the cost of the DNA test processes, including the fees for the testing facility, the collection of samples, and any associated legal or administrative fees.
“The court further ordered that the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test be conducted at a mutually agreed-upon laboratory or medical centre within Nigeria. To ensure and ascertain the reliability of the test, the court further appointed some officers to supervise the process of the DNA test,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, according to the statement, the court decided that both parties bear their respective costs in this case, save for the processing of the DNA tests that the applicant agreed to bear.
Mohbad died at the age of 27, causing controversy on social media.
Mohbad, a former record label signee of Marlian Music, founded by Naira Marley, quit the label in February 2022. On September 18, 2023, the Lagos State Police Command formed a 13-man special investigation team to look into the singer’s death.
His death also resulted in the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, commonly known as Sam Larry, among others.
Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the reason of his death.
Meanwhile, numerous observers from various nations have expressed worry over the coroner’s investigation into Mohbad’s death, citing suspected unfair practices and the possibility of evidence suppression.
In a statement released on Sunday, the group declared that they were calling for truth, fairness, equity, and accountability, and that they had been observing the court in Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria.
The observers highlighted concerns about the proceedings’ adjournments and other conditions they claimed jeopardized Mohbad’s right to justice.
During the cross-examination of Mohbad’s widow, Omowunmi Adebanjo, the observers said that counsels were continuously interrupted and hindered from getting the necessary facts.
