Team Justice accuses authorities of attempting to exclude Mohbad’s father from DNA test process

Team Justice accuses authorities of attempting to exclude Mohbad’s father from DNA test process

A support group, Team Justice in Nigeria and the Diaspora, has condemned alleged moves to sideline Joseph Aloba, father of the late singer Mohbad, from the ongoing DNA test process to determine the paternity of his grandson, Liam.

The group insisted that Aloba retains full legal rights to oversee how the DNA procedure is conducted, stressing that the state has no authority to interfere in what it described as a family-initiated medical process.

Aloba had revealed in a viral video that the late artiste would be reburied once the DNA result is concluded.

In a statement signed by its coordinator, Toby Bart, the group said there was neither legal nor moral justification for the government to take over or impose a state-supervised sampling process.

According to the group, “The law is straightforward. The person who contests paternity and requests a DNA test controls the process. In this case, that person is Mohbad’s father. Unless the court orders a DNA test or it is required in a criminal investigation, it remains a private medical procedure. No Lagos court has ordered a DNA test, and police investigations do not classify it as a forensic requirement. Therefore, the state has no lawful jurisdiction to impose itself.”

On Tuesday, the Magistrates Court in Ikorodu reportedly set aside a fresh application filed by Aloba’s new lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, requesting an open, internationally supervised DNA process involving two independent laboratories in the US and UK. The application also sought permission for samples to be taken by experts selected by Aloba.

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The court, however, suggested that samples be taken under its supervision and forwarded to an undisclosed foreign laboratory — a position the group firmly rejected.

“There is no justification for excluding Baba from the process he initiated or replacing an internationally verifiable multi-lab plan with an unnamed foreign lab,” the group said.

It argued that state structures involved in the “controversial exhumation” of Mohbad and the “inconclusive autopsy and toxicology report” should not be allowed to supervise the DNA process again, warning that such interference could erode public confidence.

The group outlined non-negotiable conditions for the test:
• Sampling must be carried out by Aloba’s expert team
• Testing must be done in two independent laboratories in the US and UK
• A transparent, internationally recognised chain of custody must be maintained

“Justice cannot be selective or shielded. It must be visible, verifiable, and beyond interference. We stand with Baba Mohbad and every Nigerian demanding accountability,” the statement read, urging the family to appeal the court’s position once the Certified True Copy of the ruling is issued.

In November, PUNCH Metro reported that Mohbad’s family renewed its demand for a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances of his death. The family, led by Omolayo Aloba and Joseph Aloba, also instructed Mohbad’s partner, Wunmi Adebanjo, to stop using the surname “Aloba” pending the outcome of a court-ordered DNA test.

The ongoing dispute highlights escalating tensions between Mohbad’s family and his widow over the paternity of their son and control of the late artiste’s estate.

Mohbad, born Ilerioluwa Aloba, died at 27 on September 12, 2023. After his death, the Lagos State Police Command set up a 13-man panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding his passing. Earlier reports showed that Aloba had approached the Ikorodu coroner’s court seeking clarification on the cause of death and later demanded a DNA test to resolve the paternity question.

Team Justice accuses authorities of attempting to exclude Mohbad’s father from DNA test process