Omowunmi, widow of the late singer and rapper, Ilerioluwa Aloba aka Mohbad, has expressed readiness to conduct a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to determine the paternity of their only son, Liam.
Recall that the deceased singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, filed a suit seeking a DNA test for his grandson.
In the application filed by the legal team to Joseph, the family sought an order to serve Wunmi by posting all the originating processes and other processes in the suit on the last-known address of the respondent.
The family’s legal team led by Emmanuel Oroko, however, argued that attempts to serve Wunmi failed.
The Magistrates Court, during its sitting on July 9, 2024, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, directed both parties to explore an alternative dispute resolution, leading to closed-door negotiations that also failed to yield an agreement.
In a statement obtained by PUNCH Metro on Sunday, a representative of the family’s legal team, Monisola Odumosu, stated that Wunmi had agreed to carry out the DNA.
Odumosu added that this was followed by the settlement terms drafted by both parties.
Odumosu in the statement disclosed that, “Emmanuel Oroko informed the court that both parties had settled outside the court and are ready to move the terms of the settlement already filed and served on Wunmi Aloba’s lawyers. In response, Kabir Akingbolu, Esq. (leading Adams Atata Esq. and M.K.O Orire Esq.) concurred, and the court adopted the terms of settlement as the judgment of the court.
According to Odumosu, Mohbad’s widow agreed in the terms of the settlement that the DNA test be conducted in a recognised and accredited government or private medical facility within Lagos State or another agreeable hospital outside the state.
The lawyer also noted that Mohbad’s father had agreed to bear the cost of the test processes and other associated fees.
“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 also ordered that both parties should bear their respective costs regarding this case except the processing of the DNA tests the applicant undertook to bear.
Mohbad died at the age of 27, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.
Being a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label in February 2022. The Lagos State Police Command had on September 18, 2023, inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the singer’s death.
His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry, amongst others.
The body of Mohbad was on September 21, 2023, exhumed for autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.
Meanwhile, some observers from various countries have raised concerns over the coroner’s inquest into Mohbad’s death, citing alleged unfair proceedings and potential suppression of evidence.
The group, in a statement on Sunday, stated that they were advocating truth, fairness, equity, and accountability, and had been monitoring the court sitting at Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria.
The observers expressed reservations about adjournments of the proceedings and other factors they alleged threatened justice for Mohbad.