CEO of Marlian Records, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, has broken his silence over the tragic death of his former signee, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
In a highly YouTube video titled “My Side of the Story”, Naira Marley stated that he was in Amsterdam when Mohbad passed away two years ago at age 27, adding that he only learned about it on social media.
Naira Marley, who has faced intense public scrutiny and allegations over the mysterious circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death in September 2023, narrated a series of incidents that took place before the singer’s demise.
“I’ve known never to explain myself to anybody because people who like you don’t need it and people who dislike you won’t believe it,” he said.
“I didn’t bully him and I didn’t kill him.”
Naira Marley recalled returning to Nigeria after 17 years in the UK to shoot a music video. In 2019, he was arrested and remanded in Ikoyi Prison on his birthday after filming ‘Am I A Yahoo Boy.’
He said he chose to remain in Nigeria afterwards because of his large fan base in the country.
He described his relationship with late Mohbad as cordial, sharing that they often had “lovely conversations” and that he first heard about Mohbad’s substance abuse in 2020.
He insisted there was transparency in their business dealings. “I didn’t cheat him, everything was open, he knew everything, not like how other record labels cheat artists. We shared everything 50/50.”
Marley also recounted being in Sweden when NDLEA operatives raided the Marlian House, arresting Zinoleesky, Mohbad, and others.
He claimed that after their release, Mohbad, in a panic mode, recorded a video accusing him and others of hatred and sabotage.
The Malian Records boss then shared the viral video of Mohbad saying, “If I die, na Naira Marley kill me.”
According to Naira Marley, Mohbad had attempted suicide several times under the heavy influence of substances.
He alleged that the late singer staged a fight with his manager, Tunde, all in an attempt to leave the record label and later handed over his social media accounts to others to spread false information against him.
On October 7, 2022, Mohbad served him a termination letter through his lawyers and requested to review his payment log.
Naira Marley maintained that he was far from Lagos when Mohbad died on September 12, 2023. He recalled, “We were in Amsterdam, in a restaurant, waiting for our food when someone just said Mohbad had died.”
At first, he dismissed the news, “I dismissed it, saying he was chasing clout to blow.” Zinoleesky, however, urged him to take it seriously.
Shortly after, Naira Marley checked Instagram and saw reports that Mohbad’s death was being linked to an ear infection.
But, he claimed that online narratives quickly shifted against him. “Boom, on Twitter, everybody just switched and started saying that Naira Marley, finally, you have killed him. They started posting videos of the NDLEA issue, his fight with the ex-manager.”
He further alleged that people were deliberately funding blogs to “change the narrative” while he was outside the country.
“I didn’t even get time to mourn him because of what people were saying about me, things I didn’t do,” Naira Marley lamented.
Mohbad and Naira Marley’s relationship had already soured before the singer’s passing. In October 2022, Mohbad publicly accused his former label boss of physical assault and terminated his Marlian Records contract.
Naira Marley’s public statement came nearly two years after Mohbad’s death and follows a February 2025 court ruling that cleared him and two others of any involvement, legally vindicating the embattled rapper.
Mohbad’s death in 2023 has sparked widespread outrage with calls for justice, fueling heated debate in the Nigerian music industry.
