Following the tragic murder of another musician, Nigerian authorities have detained Naira Marley, a well-known Afrobeats singer.
There have been massive protests and general outrage among MohBad’s admirers since his tragic demise. They have persistently called for justice and an inquiry.
Why the arrest of Naira Marley?
His conflict with Marley began after Mohbad left the musician’s record company, Marlian Records. The public has expressed their dissatisfaction with how Marley reacted after Mohbad decided to quit his label.
After first denying any responsibility for MohBad’s murder, Marley announced his return from abroad in order to “help with the inquiry.”
According to Marley, “It’s important I do my part for Imole.”
On Tuesday, he noted on X, formerly Twitter, that “I’ll be meeting with the police with hopes for the truth to be uncovered and for justice to prevail.”
Ongoing investigations
MohBad passed away in a hospital in the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos last month, but the circumstances surrounding his passing are unknown. He died at the age of 27.
Police said last week that they had arrested music promoter Sam Larry and that he was cooperating with their ongoing probes. No other information was provided.
Concerns were raised among MohBad’s admirers when his body was hastily interred the day following his death. His true name was Ilerioluwa Aloba.
Joseph Aloba, MohBad’s father, informed the local media that the family’s Yoruba heritage dictated the urgency with which they buried their son.
He continued by saying that a Yoruba funeral must be hastened if the parents of the deceased are still alive.
The police have not yet made the findings of the autopsy on MohBad’s excavated corpse public. On October 13th, a coroner’s inquest will pick up where it left off.
Nigerian police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin said on Tuesday that Marley had been arrested “for interrogation and other investigation activities” in Lagos.
Mohbad’s legacy
Critics hold that Mohbad has been celebrated in death, which is unfair. “All these love, attention, and money flying up and down, why didn’t all do them when he was alive?”
In Nigeria, where he is based, Marley is an Afrobeats superstar. Apple Music called him “an unmissable fixture in Nigerian pop music” last year.
However, he is also a divisive character who has run afoul of the law in the past. He settled out of court in 2020 with the man who had accused him and his friends of violence and car theft. Marley dismissed the allegations.
After being signed to Marley’s record company for three years, MohBad and Marley had a dramatic falling out last year.
Several videos of MohBad claiming that label employees harassed and stole his royalties have surfaced online since his death.
Marley maintained that he did not “have a hand in the death of MohBad, either directly or indirectly,” calling the allegations “lies.”
But in 2022, Mohbad himself had told his own side of the story in a thread on X, calling for justice.
A concert honoring MohBad was performed two weeks ago at a park on Lagos’s Victoria Island, and its attendees thereafter marched to the Lekki toll gate to keep the vigil going.
Fans of the late artist’s streetwise, often vulgar lyrics and unique baritone voice wore white T-shirts, carried candles or their mobile phone torches, and danced to his music.
The social media hot topic is #justiceformohbad. His supporters have conducted protests in towns across southern Nigeria, demanding to know the circumstances of his death, forcing the governor of Lagos State to launch an investigation with the secret police of Nigeria.
