The National Medical Services Laboratories located in Pennsylvania, USA has contradicted the statement made by the Lagos State Government regarding the toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, known as Mohbad.

This contradiction by the NMS Labs came in reaction to inquiries made by a correspondent who was investigating the specifics surrounding the musician’s death.

Prior to commencing the investigation, it was reported that some concerned members of the public had protested against a statement made by a pathologist at the Coroner’s Court.

This pathologist had mentioned that an autopsy could not reveal Mohbad’s cause of death due to the advanced decomposition of the body.

Previously, during proceedings at the Coroner’s Court, the counsel for the state government, O. Akinde, had stated that a toxicology test had been conducted in the United States as part of the autopsy process to ascertain the cause of Mohbad’s death.

Additionally, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, had supported this claim in a phone call with Ahmad Isah on the Brekete Family program in February 2024, stating that the toxicology test was being conducted at the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, USA.

“The matter is being handled by the state DNA and Forensic Centre, but they are doing skeletal services, and they have affiliate centres which are three.

“So, if there is an emergency like this one that we have, they will not say they cannot handle it. So, there are three of them in the US and the one handling this particular one is the NMS in Pennsylvania, USA,” Omotoso stated during the live programme.

The test result arrived in Nigeria around April 2024 and was then given to a pathologist for analysis. When the pathologist appeared in court, they mentioned that the autopsy couldn’t determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to decomposition of the body.

However, our correspondent confirmed the locations of NMS Labs in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and Grand Prairie, Texas. Additionally, an inquiry was sent to the labs to verify if a toxicology test was carried out to determine the cause of Mohbad’s death.

The inquiry read in part, “I am a journalist from Punch Newspaper in Nigeria, currently working on a story involving the death of Nigerian hip-hop artiste, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad.

“Following the Lagos State Government’s active interest in the case, the state Commissioner for Information revealed that the government conducted a toxicology test on the late artiste at your facility. Here is the link where he said so at 32:21 (https://youtu.be/SW59DTJZV3I?si=ty0OaXJSTvfuC4Oz).

“However, conflicting reports have emerged, casting doubt on whether or not the toxicology test indeed took place at your facility. As a journalist committed to factual reporting, I am independently reaching out to your facility to verify the authenticity of this claim. Clarification on this matter will contribute significantly to resolving the discrepancies surrounding the artist’s demise.”

Wakadaily discovered that on May 17, Esther Dede, the Client Services Associate at NMS Labs’ Forensics Division, denied the state government’s assertion that Mohbad’s toxicology test was performed at their facilities.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient,” Dede ststed.

Dede, however, added, “To maintain our compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations, we would need authorisation from the submitting agency.”

When contacted on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information, Omotoso, mentioned that was the name of the lab given to him by the state DNA and Forensic Centre.

“This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there. We are dealing with the officials of the centre, they have three other labs that they have affiliations with. If they have an emergency, they can go to any of the three labs. I asked which particular one did they go to and they answered it was that one. That means I will have to go and check again because that was what I was told.”

Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27, and the circumstances of his death sparked widespread controversy on social media.

Prior to his death, he was a former artist signed to Marlian Music, owned by Naira Marley, but had parted ways with the label in February 2022.

In response to his death, the Lagos State Police Command established a 13-member special investigation team on September 18, 2023, to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

This investigation led to the arrest of Naira Marley, Sam Larry (also known as Balogun Eletu), and others.

Additionally, Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the cause of his death.