Controversial singer Naira Marley has shared his account of events surrounding the death of his former signee, Mohbad, in a video on YouTube.
Mohbad, whose real name was Ilerioluwa Aloba died on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, at 27.
Naira Marley was acquitted of any wrongdoing in February by a Magistrate’s Court in Yaba, Lagos, and he maintains that he had no involvement in Mohbad’s passing.
According to Naira Marley, he learned about Mohbad’s alleged substance use in June 2020 and counselled him to stop.
“I wasn’t angry, I called him and advised him and told him about the danger. He said he got into it because of stress but said he would stay out of it. I didn’t force him to do anything,” the singer said.
He also claimed that Mohbad selected his manager and negotiated a payment structure.
“He was planning to pay Tunde 25 percent. I said ‘No 10 percent,’” Naira Marley said.
Naira Marley provided details about the February 2022 NDLEA raid on Marlian House, stating that he was abroad during the incident and Mohbad had a physical altercation with officers.
Naira Marley, who said he was in Sweden at the time, noted that Mohbad was taken along because he had physical altercation with the officers.
“Mohbad went live (on Instagram) under duress shortly after he was released. While having a panic attack he accused me and others,” he said.
During the live session, Mohbad said, “If I die, everybody na Marlian Music, Naira Marley kill me.
“On their way to the hospital, he also accused his girl, Zino, a lot of people. He even accused our wives. Shortly after that, whilst in a vulnerable state of psychosis, he made a statement calling Zino a snitch,” said Naira Marley.
Naira Marley discussed Mohbad’s departure from Marlian Music, stating that the singer’s lawyer sent a letter in October 2022 indicating Mohbad’s desire to leave the label.
He claimed that he provided payment logs to Mohbad’s lawyer to demonstrate transparency in their financial dealings.
Naira Marley also mentioned that Mohbad withdrew $72,000 from a DSP partner, which he believes belonged to Marlian Music.
“Not long after that, in December 2022, Mohbad withdrew $72,000 from a DSP partner. All these monies he took were not his. We had to hold some of his royalty payment till he returned the money he took,” he said.
The musician expressed frustration over being blamed for Mohbad’s death, stating that he was in Europe at the time of the incident.
He refuted bullying allegations, “I’ve never sent anybody to bully him. I’ve never bullied him. I’d warned everybody to leave him”, he said.
Naira Marley concluded by stating that Marlian Music is willing to release Mohbad’s royalties to his family or whoever the court designates.
