Mohbad: Court Remands Naira Marley, Sam Larry, 2 Others

A Lagos State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Yaba yesterday remanded Azeez Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry and two others in Police custody over their alleged involvement in the death of Afrobeat musician, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

Others remanded alongside Naira Marley and Sam Larry by Chief Magistrate Mrs Adeola Olatubosun are Ogedengbe Fisayo, 37 and Ayobami Sadiq, 27.

Chief Magistrate Mrs Olatubosun ordered that they should be kept behind bars for 21 days in the custody of the Police State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCID) and adjourned the case until October 25.

She also ordered that the suspects be granted access to medicals and lawyers of their choice.

Earlier, DSP Umaru Bello and ASP Augustine Nwabuisi, who led the legal team of the police, had urged the court to remand the men for 30 days to enable them to conclude their investigation.

However, Chief Magistrate Olatunbosun ruled that Fashola and the others be remanded for just 21 days.

The Lagos State government had set up a coroner inquest to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the musician.

The coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi had fixed the hearing of evidence from parties in the inquest for on October 13 and to enable parties to file their various written depositions.

Already, the Lagos State Police Command has inaugurated a 13-man investigative panel to unravel the mysteries surrounding the death of a 27-year-old fast-rising artiste.

The special investigative team is to unravel the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death, identify witnesses, culprits, if any and any person that will be helpful to the investigative process and deploy processes and other technological tools to aid the investigative course in line with the relevant provisions of the law.

The panel is also to carry out a discreet investigation, which covers exhumation, autopsy/toxicology/histology, scene visits, hospital/medical reports, and records of suspects/witnesses’ statements.