The National Medical Services Laboratories (NMS Labs) in Pennsylvania, USA, has denied the claim by the Lagos State Government that they conducted a toxicology test to determine the cause of death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.
This denial came after an inquiry by newsmen, who were investigating the musician’s death.
Concerns were raised by the public when a pathologist said in court on May 15 that Mohbad’s autopsy could not determine the cause of death due to the decomposition of his body.
In November 2023, a lawyer for the Lagos State Government, O. Akinde, told the Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu that a toxicology test was conducted in the USA to help find out why Mohbad died.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, later confirmed in February 2024 that this test was done at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania.
However, when reporters contacted NMS Labs at their Willow Grove location in Pennsylvania, the lab’s representative, Esther Dede, said they had no record of such a test for Mohbad. “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient,” Dede stated.
She also mentioned that without authorization from the agency that submitted the sample, they could not provide further details due to privacy rules.
When asked for a comment, Omotoso said he received the information from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre and would need to verify it again.
“This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there,” Omotoso said.
Beyond Boders recalls that Mohbad died on September 12, 2023, at age 27. His death has been surrounded by controversy, with many discussing it on social media.
The Lagos State Police set up a special investigation team on September 18, 2023, to look into the case.
